The Pakistan Cricket Board and Bank Alfalah have entered a four-year partnership to revive school cricket across the country. As per the partnership agreement, the PCB and Bank Alfalah will jointly organise a school tournament each year in which 120 schools (to be shortlisted by the PCB) will participate. The signing ceremony between the two parties was held today at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
The PCB and Bank Alfalah will conduct nationwide school drives for making program-based interventions to harness & nurture youth with a strong passion for cricket.
With the growth of the partnership over the four years, school participation will increase to 900 schools across the country as part of PCB’s grand plan of developing and sustaining a quality schools competition that will not only identify but will also nurture and groom future cricket stars. 105 PCB-designated and approved grounds will be used for school cricket tournaments these four years.
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “We have entered another exciting partnership for the development of cricket. School cricket was one of our strengths over the years, but unfortunately, we could not sustain organised and effective school cricket systems in recent years.
“As such, this partnership is monumental for us, and I want to thank Bank Alfalah for aligning with us in the much-needed initiative. We aim not only to revive school cricket but also to develop and sustain it for a long period; hence we have launched this initiative with Bank Alfalah.
“So many of our superstars of the 70s and 80s were products of school cricket. This partnership will develop and groom the superstars of tomorrow. In the last year, we have made an unprecedented investment in the pathway, and grassroots cricket and this investment will surely benefit Pakistan cricket for the next decade or two.”
President and CEO Bank Alfalah Atif Bajwa: “Bank Alfalah stands proud of its longstanding partnership with PCB. Together, we’ve continued to support the shared passion for cricket in all these years of working in collaboration.
“The current performance of the cricket team is a testament to the devotion and determination of Pakistanis taking the sport to newer heights. At the heart of our partnership lies the idea to help build future cricketers and provide them with the opportunities to shine at the national and international level.”