by Abdul Habib
15th May 2010

Irfan was selected as one of the 24 most promising players in Pakistan and is currently busy at the training camp in Lahore. Irfan said that the atmosphere at the camp is a little more relaxed than the Pakistan camp because this camp is about a lot more than fitness.

A lot of Pakistani players come from very rural areas and are little more than village kids with no real experience of the outside world. What this camp intends to do is to help to train young players about etiquette and protocol so that if they ever end up becoming international sportsmen they wont feel uncomfortable in their new surroundings.

I asked Irfan if he thought the non-cricket related training was useful and he surprised me with his answer.

"I wasn't sure what to expect when they told me they would be teaching us all this other stuff but after experiencing the training I think it's a good thing. Some of the stuff is very basic but they also teach us about how to talk to the media and how to handle the intense attention that we can sometimes get. There's also stuff about customs and traditions in countries where we might tour. There's a lot of things that are different to the way we do things in Pakistan and I believe it's important for us to learn about that." Irfan wanted everyone at Cricistan.com to know.

Irfan is enjoying the experience and feels that he's learning a lot of useful stuff. He's also glad to be at the NCA and continuing to get the support of the best coaches in country.