Zeeshan Continues To Fight Challenges In Pursuit Of His Dream.

LAHORE -- Nineteen-year-old pacer Zeeshan Zameer had once contemplated quitting cricket owing to the complex situation developing in his household but is now one of the bright talents recognised by the PCB Pathways Programme.

Continuing his journey in competitive cricket, Zeeshan was encumbered by several challenges in the start of his career that could have potentially compromised his future. The Karachi-based cricketer had to face the challenge of leaving district-level cricket and travelling back to his village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to get his unwell mother operated on but decided to stay back after a local coach offered to take up the medical expenses.

His father is a driver in a private company in Karachi and given the limited financial support, Zeeshan was always willing to go the extra mile to chase his dreams. Rewarded for his excellent performances in the U19 circuit and an impressive PSL 7 outing with Islamabad United, Zeeshan is now one of the 107 cricketers part of the PCB Pathways Programme granted a monthly stipend of PKR30,000 and the chance to be tutored by top coaches at the National High Performance Centre.

'PCB Pathways Programme is a very good initiative because I am aware of how difficult it is for players coming from humble backgrounds,' Zeeshan told PCB Digital. 'The players in the programme will be in a better mental space and under less...