Founding Members

The Global CORE Board

OUR PEOPLE

Where Cricket’s Future Was Forged — A Moment, A Mission, A Global Responsibility

On a freezing night in September 2025, at Banks Homes Riverside, Durham, CORE’s top leadership came together with a singular conviction to lay the foundation of CORE Cricket. What began as a moment of reflection quickly became a defining commitment. A small group of founding leaders united decades of global experience spanning elite performance, talent development, coaching education, grassroots transformation, and cricket governance, bound by a shared belief in the game’s greater purpose.

Working in close alignment with the leadership of IFCC, they accepted a collective responsibility: to build a cricket ecosystem that is more compliant, more rewarding, and genuinely sustainable. Guided by integrity and deep respect for the game, CORE’s founding members are shaping a future-ready global framework one that serves players, coaches, officials, academies, corporates, and communities alike, and helps build a better tomorrow for everyone who contributes to the game of cricket.

Founding Members

Geoffrey Cook

Cricket Leader and Talent Developer

Mudassar Nazar

Global Cricket Visionary

John Windows

Architect of Talent Development

Shahzad Altaf

Global Grassroots Cricket Visionary & Master Coach | Former World Cup Cricketer

Geoffrey Cook
Cricket Leader and Talent Developer

My vision is to build a clear, aspirational pathway where talent is identified early, developed intelligently, and supported consistently from grassroots to elite performance. CORE is about giving every young cricketer the belief that geography does not define destiny. By combining strong leadership, player welfare, and high-performance culture, we will empower the next generation to dream bigger, compete fearlessly, and achieve sustainable success both on and off the field.

Geoff Cook is a widely respected name in English cricket, known for his impact as a player, coach and administrator. A former England international and Durham opening batsman, who represented England in 7 test matches and 6 ODIs, Geoff transitioned from a successful county career to leadership roles that shaped the game’s future. As secretary and chairman of the Cricketers’ Association, he championed player welfare before returning to Durham in 1991 as Director of Cricket for their first-class debut season. His vision led Durham to historic success: their first major trophy in 2007 and the County Championship title in 2008, which he calls his proudest achievement. Geoff’s enduring impact is seen in his ability to nurture talent and build championship-winning teams. Geoff has spent a lifetime turning potential into greatness. Today, his vision will drive this global pathway programme in CORE that will empower the next generation to dream bigger and achieve more.
Mudassar Nazar

Mudassar Nazar
Director of Cricket
High Performance Center, Sharjah, UAE

“From carrying the bat for Pakistan to building the pathway for the next generation.”

Mudassar Nazar | Director of Cricket

Mudassar Nazar leads cricketing strategy and player development at CORE’s Sharjah High Performance Center, bringing over four decades at the top of world cricket  as a record-breaking Pakistan Test player and, since retiring, as a national coach, academy director and selector across three continents.

Born in Lahore into a cricketing family his father Nazar Mohammad was Pakistan’s first Test centurion Mudassar went on to play 76 Tests and 122 ODIs as an opening batsman and all-rounder. He remains one of the most celebrated names of his era: his marathon century against England at Lahore in 1977 still stands as the slowest in Test history, a testament to the discipline and match awareness he now instils in CORE’s players. In the 1982–83 series against India he produced one of the great individual series performances  761 runs at an average of 126, including four hundreds and a double century  and became only the second Pakistani to carry his bat as an opener in a Test innings. At Lord’s in 1982 he earned the nickname “Golden Arm” for a match-winning bowling spell against England.

Since retiring, Mudassar has built a coaching and administration career at the highest level: two spells as head coach of the Pakistan national team, national coaching roles with Kenya, Director of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy, a tenure with the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai, and service as a national selector for the Emirates Cricket Board. At CORE, he channels that experience into a single mission — turning promising players into champions through the same rigour, patience and match-craft that defined his own career.

Career highlights

  • 76 Tests and 122 ODIs for Pakistan as an opening batsman and all-rounder.
  • 761 runs at an average of 126 in the 1982–83 series against India, including four centuries.
  • “Golden Arm” match-winning bowling spell for Pakistan at Lord's, 1982.
  • Two-time Pakistan national team head coach; national coach of Kenya.
  • Director, Pakistan National Cricket Academy.
  • Former staff, ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai.
  • National selector, Emirates Cricket Board.
John Windows
John Windows
Architect of Talent Development

My vision is to establish a globally standardised talent development model that ensures potential is never overlooked and excellence is never accidental. CORE will focus on long-term player growth—technical, physical, and mental—creating environments where young cricketers are challenged, supported, and inspired. By sharing knowledge, data, and best practices worldwide, we will build a legacy system that consistently produces worldclass players and future leaders of the game.

John Windows, one of English cricket’s most influential talent developers, has been a driving force in English cricket for nearly three decades, shaping the careers of some of the game’s biggest names. As Durham’s Men’s Academy Director for 27 years, John played a pivotal role in creating one of the most successful player pathways in the country. Under his leadership, the academy produced world-class cricketers including Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, Steve Harmison, Paul Collingwood and Graham Onions, alongside emerging talents like Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.

Starting as an academy coach in 1999 and becoming Director in 2007, John’s vision and commitment transformed Durham’s academy into a powerhouse of home-grown talent. His ability to identify and nurture potential, most notably recruiting Ben Stokes as a 17-year-old, has left an enduring legacy in English
cricket.

Though stepping back from his full-time role for health reasons, John continues to mentor and inspire, ensuring his experience and wisdom guide the next generation. His passion for player development and strategic leadership makes him a cornerstone of global cricket education initiatives and will play a pivotal role as founding member of the CORE programme.

Shahzad Altaf
Player Development & Life Skills Mentor
High Performance Center, Sharjah, UAE

“I built a career on a different continent to the one I was born in — I want every player here to know their path can do the same.”

Shahzad Altaf | Player Development & Life Skills Mentor

Shahzad Altaf’s own cricketing journey is the story he now uses to mentor CORE’s next generation. Born in Peshawar, Pakistan, he came through first-class cricket in Pakistan before relocating to the UAE, where he went on to represent his adopted nation on the international stage  playing for the UAE national team between 1994 and 1998, including opening the bowling for the UAE at the 1996 Cricket World Cup.

A right-arm pace bowler by trade, Shahzad’s career reflects the same cross-border pathway many of CORE’s players and families are navigating today. He and his son, Rameez Shahzad  also a UAE international  became the first father–son pair to represent the UAE at international level, a legacy that now shapes his approach to mentorship at the High Performance Center: building not just cricketers, but the discipline, resilience and family-rooted values needed to succeed in a new country and a global game.

Career highlights

  • UAE national team, 1994–1998; right-arm pace bowler.
  • Opened the bowling for the UAE at the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
  • First-class cricket in Pakistan before relocating to the UAE.
  • With son Rameez Shahzad, first father–son duo to represent the UAE internationally.