LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to launch its inaugural Women’s University Cricket Tourna­ment, featuring 14 teams from across the country.

The tournament will be held in four cities — Lahore, Karachi, Rawal­pindi and Multan — from Tuesday, with the final scheduled for June 3.

The teams are divided into four zones, with four teams each from Karachi and Lahore participating in the tournament alongside three teams apiece from Multan and Rawalpindi.

The top team from each zone will qualify for the semi-finals. Each team will consist of 15 players, aged 25 or below, with a total of 210 players participating in the tournament.

The Karachi Zone includes Newport University, University of Karachi, Jinnah University for Women and Hamdard University, with matches played at IBA Ground, Karachi.

The Lahore Zone features Lah­ore College Women’s University, University of Punjab, Government College University and Kinnaird College, with matches held at COMSATS, Lahore.

The Rawalpindi Zone comprises SBBWU, Peshawar, Fatima Jinnah Women’s University and International Islamic University, with matches contested at Viqar-un-Nisa College, Rawalpindi.

The Multan Zone includes Bahauddin Zakariya Univer­sity (BZU), Women’s University Multan and Islamia University, Bahawalpur, with BZU hosting the tournament matches.

“This is a huge step forward in increasing the talent pool in women’s cricket,” Tania Mallick, head of women’s cricket at PCB said. “Students from 15 universities across the country will get a great opportunity to showcase their talent and pursue a professional career in the sport. I look forward to seeing some exciting talent and competitive matches.”

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2024