LAHORE: Hundreds of talented under-19 cricketers must have been left heartbroken and disappointed due to Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to suddenly scratch the 18 regional under-19 teams - which had already been selected for the upcoming domestic season - and hold fresh trials to select just six provincial teams under the revamped domestic cricket system. The fresh trials will be held at six different centres from Aug 19.

It may be mentioned here that the PCB had set up regional academies at all 16 regions this summer of two months duration each and its appointed selectors had also selected 18 teams of 16 regions including two each of Lahore and Karachi and one each of the remaining 14 regions. But just when the selected players had become quite hopeful about launching their national careers, the new decision issued by the PCB on Aug 16 to cut short the 18 teams’ format to only six, means hundreds of selected players will not get a place when the trials for the selection of the six provincial teams will be completed.

However, all selected players of the 18 regional teams are invited to appear in the trials to form the six provincial teams.

In this connection, the trials for Sindh will be held at the National Stadium, Karachi on Aug 19 and 20.

Similarly, the trials for Central Punjab team will be held at the LCCA ground here and for Southern Punjab at Multan Stadium on Aug 24 and 25 simultaneously.

To select the Balochistan team, the trials are being held at Bugti Stadium, Quetta on Aug 22 and 23.

The trials for Northern Region and KPK are set to be held at the Diamond Club ground, Islamabad and Hayatabad Sports Complex on Aug 24 and 25.

Arshad Khan will supervise the trials at Karachi and Quetta while Sanullah Baloch will act as chief selector at Multan. Former Pakistan player Rao Iftikhar Anjum has been deputed to conduct the trials in Lahore and junior team’s chief selector Saleem Jaffar will be doing the duty at Islamabad. In Peshawer, Taufiq Umar will act as chief selector.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2019