- Pakistan Cricket Board’s Nationwide Trials Offer Opportunity for Female Cricketers Across Age Groups.
- National Selection Committee Identifies Potential for Emerging and U19 Squads in Upcoming Competitions.
- PCB’s Initiatives, Including Domestic Contracts and Trials, Shape a Bright Path Forward for Women’s Cricket in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is taking proactive steps to unearth talented female cricketers at the grassroots level. They have announced nationwide women’s cricket trials that will be held across eight cricket academies from August 23 to August 31. These trials are aimed at providing a platform for female cricketers of various age groups to showcase their skills and potentially move up to higher levels of the game.
The National Selection Committee, led by former Test cricketer Saleem Jaffar, along with former international cricketers Asmavia Iqbal and Marina Iqbal, will oversee the trials. The trials will be organized for three different age categories: Under-19 (U19), Emerging, and Seniors. For the U19 category, players born on or after September 1, 2004, are eligible to participate.
The main objective of these trials is to identify promising talent and select squads for the Pakistan Emerging and Pakistan U19 teams. The Pakistan Emerging team is set to compete against the West Indies Emerging team on home turf in October of this year. Additionally, the Pakistan U19 team will take part in a triangular event featuring Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh in January 2024.
Tania Mallick, the Head of Women’s Cricket, expressed her optimism about the future of women’s cricket in Pakistan. She highlighted the recent awarding of domestic contracts to 74 women cricketers, signaling a positive direction for the sport. Mallick emphasized the importance of the nationwide trials in identifying exceptional talent that could potentially be considered for national team squads.
The trial schedule is as follows:
- Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre, Karachi – August 23
- Inzamam-ul-Haq High-Performance Centre, Multan – August 23
- Women Sports Stadium, Bahawalpur – August 24
- Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore – August 24
- Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi/Islamabad – August 28
- Qayyum Stadium, Peshawar – August 29
- Abbottabad Stadium, Abbottabad – August 30
- Bugti Stadium, Quetta – August 31
These trials mark a significant step in the development of women’s cricket in Pakistan, providing a platform for aspiring cricketers to shine and contribute to the growth of the sport at both national and international levels.