Punjab cricket team (Source :Twitter )
After a successful conduct of second season of Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup, Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has named a 14-member Punjab senior men’s team for a 12-days tour to Namibia for a five-match 50-overs series starting July 3 and ending on July 10. The team left for the tour on Saturday night from New Delhi.
Former cricketers and qualified coaches Ravneet Singh and Harmeet Bansal will accompany the team as coaches. The matches will be played at the Wanderers Sports Club in Windhoek.
Talking about the tour, Punjab Cricket Association Secretary Dilsher Khanna said, “The Namibia tour will give exposure to the players and our players will definitely return after performing well on the international tour. This tour will give them an opportunity to learn, which will help us do well in the upcoming domestic tournaments. The Punjab team has both young and experienced players.”
Speaking on the idea behind organising the tour, Surjit Rai, PCA joint secretary said, “With an aim to give exposure in the off-season to the players, PCA has decided to organise the tour. We just saw how well the players performed in the recently concluded Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup. A total of 33 matches in the tournament provided a great platform to the players of the state. The Namibia tour has also been planned to give exposure to the players of playing on a foreign soil. The players should make most of the chances and do well. This will give confidence to the players.”
Nehal Wadhera and Uday Pratap Saharan, who were not part of the Punjab T20 league also feature in the touring Punjab team. Medium-pacer Gurnoor Brar who picked up 22 wickets in Sher-e-Punjab is also part of the Punjab team for the Namibia tour. The matches will happen on July 3, July 5, July 7, July 9 and July 10.
Rai will travel with the team along with Sahebjit Singh Sehmby, who is member of the PCA Apex Council.
Punjab Squad and Support Staff for Namibia Tour 2024:
Anmol Malhotra, Aradhya Shukla, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Harpreet Singh Brar, Jass Inder Singh, Mayank Markande, Naman Dhir, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Pukhraj Maan, Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Singh, Siddharth Kaul and Uday Pratap Saharan.
Support Staff: Harmeet Singh Bansal (coach), Ravneet Singh (coach), Ram Babu Shaw (physiotherapist), Lavish Chaudhary (trainer) and Satwinder Singh (manager).