PCB to conduct nationwide women trials from tomorrow

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board, as part of its continuous effort to unearth women cricketers at the grassroots level, will hold nationwide women’s cricket trials, across eight cricket academies from 23 to 31 August.

These trials will provide an exceptional platform for talented female cricketers from various age categories to showcase their skills and progress to the higher levels of the game.

The trials will be conducted by the National Selection Committee, which comprises of chairperson and former Test cricketer Saleem Jaffar, former international cricketers Asmavia Iqbal and Marina Iqbal.

The trials will be conducted for three age groups: U19, in which players who are born on or after 1 September 2004 are eligible; emerging and seniors’ categories.

The trials will help the selectors identify talent and select squads for Pakistan emerging and Pakistan U19 teams. Pakistan’s emerging side will compete against West Indies emerging team at home in October this year, while Pakistan U19 will feature in a triangular event involving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Bangladesh in January 2024.

Head of Women’s Cricket Tania Mallick: “We have recently awarded first-ever domestic contracts to 74 women cricketers, setting the tone for a brighter future in women’s cricket. With the nationwide trials, we are eagerly poised to bring in a new wave of talented individuals forward.

“We have a great and exciting amount of women’s cricket events ahead, and these trials will help us identify splendid talent that the selectors can consider for the national teams’ squads.”

The following is the schedule of trials in eight academies.

• Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre, Karachi – 23 August
• Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre, Multan – 23 August
• Women Sports Stadium, Bahawalpur – 24 August
• Kinnard College for Women, Lahore – 24 August
• Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi/Islamabad – 28 August
• Qayyum Stadium, Peshawar – 29 August
• Abbottabad Stadium, Abbottabad – 30 August
• Bugti Stadium, Quetta – 31 August