The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said here on Friday that it has concluded its inaugural School Cricket Talent Hunt Programme, a vast nationwide initiative in 2025 that saw more than 5,000 students participate in trials, training camps, and competitive matches across 39 districts.
AThe comprehensive scheme involved 405 school teams competing in a total of 827 40-over matches. The initial response to the programme, announced in March, was substantial, with 2,939 schools registering interest before a thorough scrutiny process finalised the participating institutions through trials at over 400 schools.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who inaugurated the initiative on 23 September, stated the aim was to ‘create a superb sporting culture and environment among students and to crucially provide them an opportunity to carve a professional cricket career along with their studies.’
Following the initial district-level competitions, the top eight schools from Faisalabad, Karachi, and Lahore were selected to participate in further 40-over white-ball tournaments within their respective cities, culminating in an additional 93 matches. The finals of these city-based events were live-streamed, with each victorious team receiving a prize of PKR 100,000.
A structured pathway has been established to integrate standout players from the school tournaments into the national youth framework. The PCB has ensured a connection between the top performers and the U15, U17, and U19 regional selection processes to foster emerging talent. These promising young cricketers are also set to receive invitations to Regional Cricket Academies in 2026 for further skill development.
Reflecting on the campaign, PCB Director Domestic Cricket Operations, Abdullah Khurram Niazi, confirmed the organisation’s intention to broaden the programme’s reach. ‘After massive success in 2025 our aim is to expand this programme from 39 districts to 100 districts in the coming year,’ he said.
Niazi elaborated on the strategic importance of scholastic cricket, noting, ‘School Cricket can provide us a lot of raw talent for the professional game in Pakistan and that is why we have built this pyramid of progress from Schools to U15, U17 and then U19 cricket. The same players can then advance to the domestic structure and finally Pakistan Shaheens and the national team.’
He also highlighted the positive reception from the community, stating, ‘We have got a great response from the kids and their parents during this activity, which is a testament to the success of this programme.’