Global T20 Canada: Lahore Qalandars to outsource coaching staff to Toronto Nationals

With the third edition of the GT20 Canada all set to begin on July 20, Toronto Nationals have announced their partnership with Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Lahore Qalandars. The two-time PSL champions will be outsourcing their coaching staff, which includes director of cricket and head coach Aqib Javed, to lead the side in the tournament.

Toronto Nationals picked four Pakistan players in the recently held draft, the likes of Shahid Afridi, Zaman Khan, Saim Ayub, and Abdullah Shafique could feature for Nationals when the tournament gets underway.

Talking about the partnership, Nationals owner Manzoor Chaudhry revealed how excited the entire franchise is over their association with Qalandars. He also opined that as two-time champions, the feedback from Qalandars’ coaching staff would be valuable for the Toronto based franchise. 

"We are excited about our association with Lahore Qalandars; cricket, being a global sport, is proliferating and connecting cricketing communities together. They won the PSL title twice and contributed a lot in Pakistan with their player development programme, and with such credibility, their assistance will be invaluable. So it's an incredible opportunity for us to rope them into Canada to manage our team. We are looking forward to forging a long-term deal in the future," Chaudhry was quoted as saying by ESPNcricnifo.

Apart from Aqib on the coaching staff, bowling coach Waqas Ahmed, fielding coach Shahzad Butt, and performance analyst Nabeel Edger Pace will also be involved with Nationals ahead of the tournament. 

We are thrilled to be a part of the GT20 here in Canada: Sameen Rana 

Furthermore, the owner of Lahore Qalandars, Sameen Rana, also came forward to reflect on the franchise’s partnership with Nationals. Having struggled in recent times, the enhanced coaching staff could potentially do wonders for the side when GT20 gets underway. 

"We are thrilled to be a part of the GT20 here in Canada and assisting Toronto Nationals with setting up the roster and providing them our full coaching staff in the upcoming season. In our responsibility, we will help the franchise to achieve their winning ambitions in the league. The deal is a first of a kind and it is initially for a season, and we will see how it goes," Sameen Rana said.