12 Pak Junior cricket League foreign players reach Lahore.

LAHORE -- A total of 12 foreign players, including eight from the United Kingdom, three from Afghanistan and one from Sri Lanka, have arrived here on Thursday to take part in the first edition of the Pakistan Junior League which begins at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday (October 6).

The remaining 12 foreign players are expected to reach in the next two to three days. The local players will also arrive from their respective homes to Lahore over the weekend.

The players that reached Lahore last night and this morning include Allah Muhammad Ghazanfar (Rawalpindi Raiders), Archie Lenham (Mardan Warriors), James Ross Wood (Hyderabad Hunters), Joseph Eckland (Gwadar Sharks), Ibrahim Masood (Hyderabad Hunters), Gabriel Gallman-Findlay (Bahawalpur Royals), George Thomas (Mardan Warriors), Luc Martin Benkenstein (Gwadar Sharks), Shevon Daniel (Gujranwala Giants), Thomas Aspinwall (Gujranwala Giants), Nangeyalia Kharotai (Bahawalpur Royals) and Olly Cox (Mardan Warriors).

The players expressed their excitement at playing the PJL in the presence of some of the greats of the game who would be working as mentors during the tournament.

The mentor roster includes legends of the game Javed Miandad (league mentor), Imran Tahir (Bahawalpur Royals), Shoaib Malik (Gujranwala Giants), Sir Vivian Richards (Gwadar Sharks), Daren Sammy (Hyderabad Hunters), Shahid Afridi (Mardan Warriors) and Colin Munro (Rawalpindi Raiders).

Nangeyalia Kharotai - Bahawalpur Royals said : 'This is a great opportunity for us at this new and exciting platform for young players from around the world. I aim to help my team win the tournament and work closely with my mentor Imran Tahir who is a legend of the game and has a great experience of leagues and T20 format around the world.'

Thomas Aspinwall - Gujranwala Giants said : 'The Pakistan Junior League is a great initiative and I am thrilled to be a part of this tournament. At Gujranwala Giants we have Shoaib Malik as our mentor who is a T20 legend. I look forward to talking to him and taking his guidance which will help me in my future cricket. There are also some wonderful mentors with the rest of the teams and I look forward to chatting with them.'

Joseph Eckland - Gwadar Sharks said : 'This is an exciting...