Engro teams up with Quetta Gladiators for PSL

Engro Foods, one of the largest conglomerates of Pakistan, have become the official sponsors of Quetta Gladiators for the PSL-3 and the agreement in this regard was signed between the company’s President, Ghias Khan, and Nadeem Omar, the franchise owner, in a ceremony on February 8.

The tastefully decorated office of Quetta Gladiators, owned by Nadeem Omar’s Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, was buzzing with activity on a pleasant Karachi afternoon and the auditorium, the venue of the signing ceremony, was packed to capacity to witness the event.

“We are starting this partnership with very high hopes of making it a big one as we share a lot of common goals. We need the support of corporations and sponsoring partners to grow and become self-sustaining entity. Together we can achieve our mutual objective of putting Pakistan on top of the tree in the cricket world,” Nadeem Omar observed.

The Engro President, an ardent supporter of the game, described the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as a great initiative, having facilitated the return of international cricket to Pakistan. He was thrilling at teaming up with Quetta Gladiators, the only team to have reached both the PSL finals.

There was more good news for Quetta Gladiators as unlike the last edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), their foreign cricketers have agreed to play their matches of the upcoming PSL-3 being staged in Karachi and Lahore.


“With the sole exception of Kevin Pietersen, all the foreign players of our squad have expressed their

willingness to play in Pakistan this time round. Even the flamboyant England batsman (Pietersen) may come and play in our cities,” Nadeem Omar, owner of Quetta Gladiators, revealed in his speech on the occasion.

Besides Pietersen, the foreign cricketers in the Quetta Gladiators squad, being led by the Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, are Shane Watson (Australia), Mahmudullah (Bangladesh), Jason Roy (England), Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies) and Rashid Khan (Afghanistan).

It may be recalled that Quetta Gladiators were deprived of the services of their prolific overseas cricketers, who opted not to travel to Lahore, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chose to move the PSL-2 final away from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the course of the tournament.

Having finished runners-up in both the editions of the PSL, Quetta Gladiators appear determined to make it third time lucky as the PSL-3 gets underway with the usual fanfare later this month.

“We were considered underdogs on both occasions but we turned it around with passion and team spirit and proved many people wrong by cruising into the final. Sadly we couldn’t win the title in the past but I am quite confident that our team will perform better than before to bring him the trophy,” Head Coach Moin Khan, himself a former Pakistan captain, remarked.

“In cricket you cannot guarantee results but one thing is sure that we are going to fight until the end. That’s what we have been doing in the past and will keep doing it as we maintain very relaxed atmosphere in our dugout with the emphasis being on team spirit rather than anything else,” he added.

Moin Khan reckoned that the PCB should appoint Sarfraz Ahmed as the captain of the national team until team until the 2019 World Cup which will be helpful in bringing to an end speculations and uncertainties.

“Just as Quetta Gladiators have announced that Sarfraz Ahmed will continue leading our team as long as he’s fit, the PCB would be advised to go for a long-term appointment in the larger national interest,” the former Pakistan captain added.

Sana Mir desires stern action against spot-fixers

Pakistan woman One-day cricket captain Sana Mir has desired stern action against spot-fixers to eradicate this menace from cricket.

“Whoever disrespects green-shirt should be banned and punished without any mercy,” she told reporters at the National Stadium, Karachi, where women training camp was taking place.

She regretted that match-fixing and spot-fixing had brutally damaged the image of Pakistan cricket as well Pakistan

She considered it a very serious issue and it should be dealt accordingly and those found guilty should never be allowed play for Pakistan again.

Pakistan suffered a blow when trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir were convicted in 2010 for spot-fixing during the tour of England.

Now spot-fixing controversy involving southpaw opener Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan and Shahzaib Hasan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has caused another great damage.

Earlier at the start of 21st century, several of top Pakistan cricketers were fined and banned. Former Pakistan skipper Saleem Malik and pacer Ata-ur-Rehman were banned for life for their involvement in match-fixing.

She praised the role Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq in image building of Pakistan team after the 2010 spot-fixing controversy.

“Misbah has played a great role in removing the spot-fixing stigma after taker over the captaincy,” she said.

However, she said she was happy no such thing happened in women cricket and there no negative impact on them.

“It was always pride to wear green Pakistan cap, Sana said. She added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was conducting the fortnight camp to improve the skills of women cricketers. Former Pakistan Test fast bowler Kabir Khan is supervising the camp with assistant coaches.

Quetta Gladiators sign title sponsorship deal with Jubilee Life

Quetta Gladiators, a Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, has signed title sponsorship deal with a leading private insurance firm for the second edition of the tournament starting in less than a couple of weeks time.

The signing ceremony between the two parties was witnessed by capacity crowd in the hall of Movenpick Hotel, Karachi, where it was held on January 30. The top management of the PSL franchise alongwith some of their players and coach Moin Khan, who is also a former Pakistan captain.

The Quetta Gladiators skipper, Sarfraz Ahmed, who is also the Pakistan T20 skipper and tipped to become the leader in all three formats in not too distant future, however, was unable to make it due to personal reasons.

Nadeem Omar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, which owns Quetta Gladiators, was particularly pleased at signing the title sponsorship deal with Jubilee Life Insurance.

“Jubilee Life is a dynamic young corporate entity which takes pride in long term relationships. Our successive meetings with them over the past few weeks to finalize the matters reflected their positive approach,” he noted.

“Our squad has a lot of young faces who make up for their inexperience with their aggression and high level of commitment. We may have entered the inaugural PSL as the underdogs but our boys excelled in the field to storm into the final. Now our aim will be to bring home the trophy,” Nadeem Omar remarked.

He paid glowing tributes to Moin Khan, the coach of Quetta Gladiators, for having put the acts together so nicely, also acknowledging the services of Azam Khan, the manager besides complimenting Sarfraz Ahmed for leading by example.

Javed Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee Life Insurance, lavished Quetta Gladiators for emerging as a popular brand right away with their brilliant craftsmanship.

“Your team has worked wonders in a short span of time and we appreciate your brilliance. We look forward to working with you for a long time to achieve our mutual objective of putting Pakistan cricket on top of the world,” he observed.

The ceremony was also attended by the President of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, and the Chairman of the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), Fawad Ijaz Khan.

Master stroke by Quetta Gladiators

Quetta Gladiators, a Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, has signed a sponsorship deal with a leading lubricants firm for the upcoming second edition of the tournament.

The signing ceremony in this regard was held with great fanfare at Movenpick Hotel, Karachi, on December 3 in the presence of the top management of the PSL franchise as well as some of their players and coach Moin Khan, who is also a former Pakistan captain.

Nadeem Omar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, which owns Quetta Gladiators, expressed his delight at signing the sponsorship deal with Pakistan Lubricants, the manufacturers of Master Oil, for the PSL-2, to be held in February-March 2017.

“We have made history of sorts today. This is the first-ever sponsorship deal being signed by Quetta Gladiators. Obviously it’s new beginning for us. These are still the early days for the PSL. Ours as well as the other four franchises stand a great chance of getting more sponsorship support in future because the PSL is here to stay and make waves,” he reckoned.

He attributed the success of Quetta Gladiators, who finished runners-up in the inaugural edition of the PSL earlier this year, to the virtues of teamwork, making special mention of coach Moin Khan and manager Azam Khan.


“Some circles were not much impressed with the line-up we had chosen. But we had done it with

purpose and conviction. We had trusted the abilities of our team and they proved their mettle. Obstacles did come in our way during the journey but we were able to overcome them with our spirit and commitment,” Nadeem Omar declared.

He expressed great confidence in his emerging players, hoping that the likes of young gun Hassan Khan, a product of Inter-School cricket, will turn out to be the stars of future.

On a personal note, Nadeem Omar, whose company Omar Associates has been one of the most consistent supporters of sports in Pakistan over the years, observed that it felt quite differently to be sponsored for the first time.

“Yes indeed the feeling is quite different at the moment because we have been accustomed to sponsoring all along rather than being sponsored,” he added.

Later talking to the media, Moin Khan echoed similar sentiments and he too was looking forward to exciting performances from the franchise youngsters in the upcoming PSL.

Tabish Javed, Managing Director, Pakistan Lubricants, looked forward to a long-term relationship with Quetta Gladiators.

“For over five decades our brand Master Oil has exemplified trust and the PSL presents us the opportunity to reach out to our last base of customers and further promote the passion for cricket. It is the first step in what is intended to be a long journey,” he remarked.

The ceremony was also attended by the key officials of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), including its President, Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, and Secretary, Shafiq Kazmi.

Quetta Gladiators to hold Under-23 Talent Hunt Programme in Balochistan

Quetta Gladiators, one of the five founding entities of the Pakistan Super League, has set off to promote cricket in a big way in the province of Balochistan, by launching a talent hunt programme titled ‘Your Gateway to Stardom’ in the first week of September.

The salient of the Under-23 Talent Hunt Programme for Balochistan, to be conducted under the supervision of the spinning great, Iqbal Qasim, were unveiled by the owner of Quetta Gladiators, Nadeem Omar, in a media briefing at Hotel Movenpick, Karachi, on August 29.

Moin Khan, a former Pakistan captain and coach of Quetta Gladiators, was also present on the occasion alongwith Salahuddin Ahmed, ex-Chairman of the national selection committee, and quite a few other cricketers.

“Iqbal Qasim, one of the greatest left-arm spinners, has been roped in as the Director of the talent hunt programme and he will be assisted by the trio of Saleem Jaffer, Ghulam Ali and Zafar Ahmed. All of them have volunteered to work on honorary basis which is truly commendable,” Nadeem Omar recognized.

“The initial phase of the trials will be taking place at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta from September 1 to 4 and at the Jam Mir Ghulam Qadir Stadium in Hub on September 7 and 8. The final phase of the trials will be carried out in the third week of September in Quetta. At the end of the final selection process, around 20 players will be selected and they will be awarded one-year contracts during which period they will be trained by qualified coaches,” the Managing Director of Omar Associates revealed.


“As many as 15 players will be selected from the talent hunt while the top five performers of
Balochistan in the PCB Regional Under-19 Tournament will be automatically drafted in the final list,” he added.

The players from all cities and districts of Balochistan, falling in the Under-23 age group, have been invited to take part in the trials.

“Our initiative is aimed at providing a solid platform to the deprived cricketers of Balochistan for showcasing their true potential. Here is an opportunity for them to get noticed and give a head start to their career. They can prove their mettle and make it big,” Nadeem Omar remarked.

“It’s our mission to support the cause of cricket from the grassroots level in the entire province of Balochistan. Talent hunt was a missing link there and we are plugging the gap. Our programme will go a long way in boosting the sport in the truest sense of the word,” he reckoned.

Iqbal Qasim shared having worked in the province of Balochistan for seven to eight years during his long stint as a cricket administrator.

“Trust me we were overwhelmed by the talent of the youngsters over there. They were incredibly powerful young lads whose cricketing abilities were beyond our imagination. This initiative of Quetta Gladiators is a masterstroke and it should work wonders in future. This will be greatly helpful in facilitating the cricketers of the province who get little exposure otherwise,” he remarked in his speech on the occasion.

Moin Khan was equally optimistic about discovering quality talent from Balochistan which could prove to be assets for Quetta Gladiators as well as Pakistan.

“The Balochistan youngsters thoroughly deserved such an initiative. They have enormous talent and enthusiasm. We are providing them the platform and we are confident that it will yield the desired results,” he hoped.

Murad Ismail, President of the Quetta Regional Cricket Association, offered his wholehearted support to Quetta Gladiators in this venture, promising total cooperation in achieving the mutual objective of putting Balochistan on the cricket map.

Shariq Hasib Khan, a senior bureaucrat having headed the cricket bodies in Balochistan, announced holding an Inter-Schools Cricket Tournament in Quetta during the month of October in which a total of 24 outfits will be taking part.