Lahore: In order to revive school cricket across the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Bank Alfalah have entered a four-year partnership. The signing ceremony between the two parties was held today at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

As per the partnership agreement, the PCB and Bank Alfalah will jointly organise a school tournament each year in which 120 schools (to be shortlisted by the PCB) will participate. The PCB and Bank Alfalah will conduct nationwide school drives for making program-based interventions to harness and nurture youth with a strong passion for cricket. With the growth of the partnership over the four-year period, the school participation will increase to 900 schools across the country as part of PCB’s grand plan of developing and sustaining a quality schools competition that will not only identify but will also nurture and groom future cricket stars.

A total of 105 PCB designated and approved grounds will be used for school cricket tournaments in this four-year period. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “We have entered another exciting partnership for the development of cricket. School cricket was one of our strengths in the years gone by but unfortunately we were not able to sustain organised and effective school cricket systems in recent years.

“As such, this partnership is monumental for us and I want to thank Bank Alfalah for aligning with us in the much needed initiative. Our aim is not only to revive school cricket but also to develop and sustain it for a long period. “So many of our superstars of the 70s, and 80s were products of school cricket. This partnership will develop and groom the superstars of tomorrow. In the last one year, we have made unprecedented investment in pathway and grassroots cricket and this investment will surely benefit Pakistan cricket for the next decade or two.”

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 04 2022

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