LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is all set to host the inaugural edition of the PCB HEC Intervarsity Tournaments from 10th October across the country.
The event will feature both men’s and women’s tournaments, with 40-over women’s tournament to begin from October 10. As many as 25 universities are set to feature in the tournament which will be divided into five zones. The schedule will be announced in due course, a PCB spokesman, said.
The men’s tournament, to be played in 50-over format, will commence from 15th October. A total of 127 universities will compete in the tournament, where 212 matches will be played across 43 venues of the country. The teams will be divided into 14 zones.
In the IInd phase of the men’s tournament, a winner each from 14 zones and four semi-finalists from the last edition of HEC intervarsity tournament will feature in another tournament to further enhance the skills of the players. The details of the second phase will be announced in due course, the spokesman added.
Both men’s and women’s tournaments are part of the MoU signed between PCB and HEC last month in Islamabad which aimed at providing a platform to university students to showcase their cricketing skills. The top performers in the Men’s Intervarsity Tournament will also be in contention to play for the HEC side in the PCB organized tournaments in the 2024-25 seasons. Also, as per the MoU, the top performers of the tournaments will be eligible to get scholarships from their respective universities.
Director Domestic Cricket Operations Abdullah Khurram Niazi said, “We are excited to partner with the HEC to bring the PCB HEC Intervarsity Tournament to life. This is a unique opportunity for young cricketers to represent their universities on a national stage and for many this could be the first step towards a professional cricketing career. We are confident that this tournament will produce outstanding talent for Pakistan cricket.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024