LAHORE: The National Under-19 Cup starts from Tuesday with 12 teams from six regional cricket associations taking part and matches being played across five cities.

The tournament, which will run until July 8, will see each association field two sides each with the Pakistan Cricket Board having started the move last season to give more opportunities to players at this level.

The PCB also announced that it had involved senior coaches to lead the support staff of the squads featuring in the tournament.

“To create a competitive environment and to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket, the PCB has involved senior coaches to lead the support staff of each squad featuring in the National U19 Cup,” it said in a news release on Monday.

“This move will upskill the players, while helping the coaches to work closely with teenagers knocking at the doors of senior cricket. The coaching panel includes Abdul Razzaq, Aizaz Cheema, Arshad Khan, Humayun Farhat, Ijaz Ahmed Jnr, Imran Farhat and Zahoor Elahi. The former international cricketers’ part of the coaching staff includes Ghulam Ali, Rafatullah Mohmand, Shahid Anwar, Shoaib Khan and Samiullah Khan Niazi.”

The six Blues squads have been placed in Pool A and will play their matches in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while six Whites squads are in Pool B with their matches scheduled in Faisalabad, Lahore and Sheikhupura.

The three-day National Under-19 Championship will be held from the third week of July.

POOR ARRANGEMENTS IN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Meanwhile, poor arrangements were witnessed during the Inter-city Senior Cricket Championship matches which are being played in Lahore.

The match between Mandi Bahauddin and Sargodha at the Model Town Club Ground saw meals being delivered to players in shopping bags while they were forced to sit on the ground as there were no dressing rooms or chairs available to them.

The Championship is being held to select players who will move onto the six regional association teams that take part in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, the country’s top-tier domestic cricket tournament.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2022