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Select bowlers get the opportunity to train under the legendary Glenn McGrath at the prestigious MRF Pace Foundation

March 9th, 2024, Chennai: Reiterating its commitment towards nurturing fast bowling talent in Indian cricket, the MRF Pace Foundation proudly unveiled the ‘Ace of Pace’ trials across the country. The trials marked a significant milestone in the Foundation’s continuing endeavour to unearth future pace bowling stars and offer them the opportunity to train under expert guidance in their quest to become the next speed sensations for India.

The trials, held in four major cities – Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai, witnessed overwhelming response, with thousands of registrations received and over 1000 aspiring fast bowlers shortlisted to showcase their pace and skill at the venues. From each city, the top 20 bowlers, displaying exceptional speed and talent, were handpicked to advance to the finals, which were held in Chennai on 9th March.

Three standout talents - Jaskaran Singh, aged 20 from Rajasthan - Sriganganagar, Mohd Izhar aged - 20 from Bihar - Birpur, Muhammad Sarfraj, aged - 20 from Ranchi - Jharkhand, were selected from among the many aspiring bowlers, to train for free at the prestigious MRF Pace Foundation. These bowlers will be enrolled in the academy to hone and develop their skills under the guidance of the Foundation' s Director, the legendary fast bowler, Glenn McGrath, and Chief Coach, M. Senthilnathan.

Commenting on the remarkable talent on display, Glenn McGrath, Director of MRF Pace Foundation, highlighted, "India has been producing great pacers for years now. However, there is a lot of raw talent and potential in the country yet to be unearthed. During the 'Ace of Pace', we got a glimpse of that immense pool of talent available in the country. It is wonderful to see such young bowlers, almost all of them without formal training or coaching, being able to express their skill and raw pace so well. I look forward to helping these young talents realize their full potential in their journey towards cricketing excellence.”

Rahul Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Limited, added, " Today, while Team India can boast of some of the best fast bowlers in the world, it is important to recognize the journey, spanning decades, that has led up to this point. When MRF opened the Pace Foundation 37 years ago, it was with one purpose in mind - to produce world-class pace bowlers for India, because that was the dire need at the time. We are proud of the fact that the Pace Foundation has contributed strongly to India’s development into a fast-bowling powerhouse. Now, with the inaugural ‘Ace of Pace’ completed successfully, I am excited to see these talented and passionate youngsters grow into future stars of Indian cricket. Stay tuned for more such initiatives from the Pace Foundation.”

Established in 1987 to address the scarcity of fast bowlers in Indian cricket, the MRF Pace Foundation has been a beacon of excellence, grooming 15 bowlers who have gone on to proudly represent the nation on the international stage, including iconic names like Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel.