Lahore, August 18 - The Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Lt. General Tauqir Zia on Saturday granted the Lahore Country Club Muridke the status of the first class centre and desired the venue an ideal place for such ventures.

He visited the club where a 17-member Qatar junior team is under training to prepare for future ICC Trophy tournaments. "I am delighted to see such suitable place equipped with all the necessary facilities including a lovely ground", he said.

General Tauqir Zia said a due share of first class matches will be allocated to the LCC in the coming domestic season. "I will hold a meeting with the members of the Management Committee to discuss this issue and to advise them to allocate first class matches to this centre", he observed. Chairman PCB said, the board will extend all the necessary help in the departments of coaching, technical support and laying of pitches to help LCC become more attractive venue.

"It is the responsibility of the Board to help such centres which are capable to stage first class matches to make them further improve", he said.

Tauqir Zia who was accompanied by Director Marketing Zahid Bashir and former acc leg spinner, Abdul Qadir demonstrated his skill in the role of a batsman playing some delightful strokes off the bowling of googly bowler.

He said the PCB was endeavouring to motivate players from overseas to come Pakistan and to prove their talent for getting a place in the national junior and senior sides. "Such institution like LCC can help in sharpening the skills of overseas players and we must encourage them by extending all out help", he said.

Chief Executive of the LCC, Chaudhary Shujat in his address of welcome highlighted the facilities available in the club and said a modern cricket academy under the same roof was functioning very successfully. "A team from Qatar and a few player from UAE and America are ample proof to our struggle and hard work for giving the LCC a status in cricket coaching", he said.

He said the LCC offers all the necessary facilities and have the services of former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam for imparting finer points of the game to the aspiring cricketers. "It is just beginning of our journey and we hope to put in more efforts with the untired zeal to make this institutions a well known name in the game of cricket", he said. Director Coaching, Intikhab Alam in his brief address requested the Chairman PCB to grant LCC the status of a first class centre. "Establishing a cricket academy was my long awaiting dream which has now turned into the reality and I hope that PCB will extend its help for making this institution a success", he said.

Later the Chairman, PCB, went around the different parts of the LCC and was also introduced to the young foreign players.

© LCC