Governor State Bank of Pakistan Shahid H. Kardar has awarded one million rupees to SBP cricket team and its officials for winning the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Division II) Cricket Tournament. Each player and official of the cricket team will receive Rs 40,000.
Speaking at an impressive ceremony held at SBP, Karachi on Friday to honour the cricket team, Kardar said that it's an historic achievement for the young SBP team which has won one of the top domestic leagues in such a short span of time. "This achievement is because of the extraordinary performance, discipline and hard work of both the cricket team and its management and they deserve all the praise for what has been achieved," Kardar added.
It may be pointed out here that the State Bank cricket team had qualified to participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Division II) Tournament after 27 years and carved out a victory for itself in its first appearance after a very long time. Kardar announced that the State Bank would also build a Sports Complex in Lahore on the same pattern as in Karachi to promote cricket at the grass roots level. "This will be our humble contribution towards the promotion of this game which is followed widely by the nation," he added. He said that the State Bank was also planning to raise an SBP Colts team (under-19 Cricket Team) and assured that the bank would do its best for the promotion of cricket in the country.
Managing Director SBP Banking Services Corporation Qasim Nawaz, in his welcome address, also lauded the performance of the cricket team. Earlier, former test cricketer Iqbal Qasim, who was the guest of honour at the ceremony, congratulated the SBP cricket team and its management for this historic achievement.
He said the SBP Cricket Team achieved this victory because the team was selected on pure merit and there was no interference from the management in the selection. The ceremony was attended, among others, by Muhammad Kamran Shehzad, Deputy Governor SBP and Chairman of the SBP Sports Committee, besides senior officials and staff of the State Bank and SBP Banking Services Corporation.