Chief Executive Stuart Cain in an interview said that Naseem Shah Birmingham Phoenix is very happy to have him. Naseem Shah has proved his worth. He also says that Hasan Ali is my favorite Pakistani Cricketer.
This year 2024 will mark 70 years of the cricketing relationship between Pakistan and England. The Warwickshire County Cricket Club will organize an exceptional event at Edgbaston for the upcoming series against Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team and Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team. The Event news was also confirmed by the club’s Chief Executive Stuart Cain in an interview with a TV channel.
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Pakistan both women’s and Men’s Cricket Teams will play a series against England this month May. This will be a white ball series that mainly focuses on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). The series for both the Men’s and women’s Cricket teams will be between 11th May to 25th May.
“The first game was back in 1954 and we’re blessed that Wazir Muhammad who played in that match lives here in Birmingham and also his brother Mushtaq. We will be inviting them along as guests of honors so we can have a really good night to celebrate the long history of playing England versus Pakistan and also some of the many great games they had here at Edgbaston.”
Although the Pakistan women’s team has played international matches previously at Edgbaston during the Commonwealth Games in 2022 this will be the first time, they will be playing a T20I match against England at this venue. To mark this occasion the club is working with the Consulate of Pakistan in Birmingham to invite young girls from local schools, situated mainly in areas where residents are largely of Pakistani origin.
“We’ve got a reputation for hosting great women’s cricket like women’s Ashes and the Commonwealth Games. So, we’re working with the Pakistan consulate and some local mosques to use this match as a showcase to try and get young girls excited about the sport and hopefully pick up a bat and ball. And it’s just not young girls that can play but also women coaches, volunteers, scorers, and administrators too because we need to get more women’s teams playing recreational cricket locally across Warwickshire and the West Midlands,” he said.
“We will be taking some of the coaches into the schools leading up to the games and trying to get some of the players involved as well. Together hopefully we can get a few more people excited about the game, pick up a bat in the ball, and hopefully get a few more women and girls teams playing long term as a result of the women’s Pakistan game so we’re looking forward to that.”
Additionally, the head of the Warwickshire CCC stated that the public’s reaction to the men’s and women’s competitions has been tremendous. While more than 12,000 tickets have been sold for the women’s T20I, the men’s competition has long since sold out. This will be the first time a women’s match opens the English international cricket season.
“We’re really looking forward to it, it’s really the curtain raiser to the season with the first big game here at Edgbaston. It’s always a great game when Pakistan comes to Edgbaston. The response to both games has been brilliant, the men’s game is sold out so Edgbaston will be really lively for that. We’re looking forward to that and the women’s game as well I think this be one of the first times that Pakistan women will be playing in front of about 12 to 15,000 spectators which is a really good crowd for women’s cricket as well which just shows what interest there is in watching Pakistan whether it be the men or the women,” Cain added.
Naseem Shah worth every penny for Birmingham Phoenix:
The Hundred signed Naseem Shah Birmingham Phoenix, the pakistan pacer in the £125,000 category. Naseem Shah after getting signed by The Hundred becomes the first Pakistani Cricketer to be selected in a short format.
Cain also said that before picking Naseem Shah for Birmingham Phoneix they had done a lot of research and checked all the pros and cons and after this gets a result Naseem Shah in the team will be beneficial for them.
“Fingers crossed; we think he’s worth every penny. We did what we did because we think Naseem Shah is a world-class player and if you look at some of the stats we think he’s one of the best bowlers around at the moment signing him for the Phoenix and putting along with people like Will Smeed and Moeen Ali etc. we think we got a really exciting team this year. We’re just looking forward to August when hopefully they will be playing in front of a packed Edgbaston,” he said.
Cain: Hasan Ali is my favorite Pakistani cricketer
Hasan Ali is the Warwickshire CCC chief’s favorite Pakistani cricket player. The Pakistani speedster captured the hearts of players and management both on and off the field during the county championship and T20 Blast last season when he was recruited by the club. This season, Hasan Ali is returning to Edgbaston as well.
“He was a real star for us last year, he has got a great personality and also is a great cricketer. He does a lot for us in the community and we could tell the players are genuinely pleased to see him. I think having him in the squad will make a big difference on the field but also off the field in the way that we can work in the community but also with the way that he just gets everyone happier in the dressing room. I think that’s what it means to be a Bear is not only a good cricketer but also a good person and I think Hasan personifies that,” he said.
Pakistani cricketer’s impact on Young Local Players and in the County Championship
Hasan Ali, a fast bowler, and Mir Hamza played in the county tournament for Warwickshire last year, and Shadab Khan signed a contract with Birmingham Phoenix. Hasan returned to Warwickshire this year, but the club also signed Pakistani fast-bowling all-rounder Amir Jamal. Both players will compete in the T20 Blast in addition to the county championship, and another Pakistani pace star, Naseem Shah Birmingham Phoenix will lead the team in The Hundred.
Regarding the effect of bringing in Pakistani cricket players on young players especially Naseem Shah Birmingham Phoenix, particularly those of Pakistani descent, Cain stated that having these elite players at Edgbaston will assist the team in discovering its future star.
“It has a big impact cause people can see people like themselves playing professional cricket and that’s really important. We’re working hard through the pathways now to get more young local talent coming in and I think between 11 and 16 years old about 40% to 50% of the players in our pathways are now those who would like to be professional cricketers and are from predominantly British Pakistani community,” he said.
“So, our job now is to keep and nurture that talent and find the next Moeen Ali, find the next Amir, find the next Taz (Tazeem Ali), find the next Hasan Ali, and give them really good careers as professional cricketers and hopefully go on to play for their country.”
Warwickshire is still committed to promoting inclusion, diversity, and equality.
Since Cain became the club’s CEO a few years ago, it has made many efforts to be inclusive of all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion. In particular, it has cultivated relationships with the local Muslim population. To involve more young Muslim cricket players, the “Ramadan Cricket League” has been staged regularly during the holy month of Ramadan, following Iftar, for several years.
In addition to honoring Christmas, the club currently hosts regular celebrations of Diwali, Bisakhi, and Eid prayers at the Colt Training Ground, which is next to Edgbaston Stadium.
This year the club also held its first-ever multi-faith Iftar reception. But Cain thinks that there’s still more needed to be done not only to include all the communities but also to find young male and female talent from those communities.
“I think three or four years ago Edgbaston probably didn’t engage enough with communities and therefore we weren’t finding talented young players and weren’t getting people from the local community coming to watch the cricket,” he said.
“The more we can do to make people feel safe and welcome at Edgbaston, the better it will be not just for the cricket but for the community in general. But there’s always more to be done and I want anyone from any walk of life to be able to come to Edgbaston and feel safe, secure, welcomed, and have a good day out.
“For me cricket shouldn’t be about gender, religion, race, or about ability or disability. If you love cricket and want a good day out and feel safe with other like-minded people then you should be able to come here at Edgbaston and we want to make people feel that way,” concluded Cain.
