KARACHI, June 18: The work for establishing the National Bank Cricket Academy is in the final stages and hopefully it would start functioning by the last week of July, said an NBP official.

Chief of SEVP Operation Group NBP, Dr Asif Brohi announced this while inaugurating the second semi-final of the NBP-KCCA Inter-club cricket tournament here.

Asif added that the NBP has been contributing a lot in promoting major sports in big cities besides regional sports, adding that the bank would organise 60 sports in 2007 in different cities and towns of the country with the participation of women also.

Chief of NBP’s sports section Iqbal Qasim, Gulfaraz Khan, Ghulam Mohammad Khan and international umpire Afzaal Ahmed were also present on the occasion.—Agencies