Under-19 cricket trials from September 11-19, announces PCB

KARACHI: As many as 291 teenagers will undergo trials for the six under-19 cricket association sides, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Saturday.

The trials will be held from September 11-19 and will be conducted by a four-member selection panel comprising Saleem Jaffar, Sanaullah Baloch, Taufiq Umar and Wajahatullah Wasti, following which teams for the national under-19 tournaments will be announced. The selection panel will be supported by the coaches and assistant coaches of the six under-19 teams.

Each major cricket centre of every cricket association will host trial matches over two days. On September 11 and 12, Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan, and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad, will hold trials for Southern Punjab under-19 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under-19, respectively.

LCCA Ground, Lahore, and Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, will play hosts to trial matches for Central Punjab under-19 and Northern under-19 sides on September 14 and 15.

Trial matches to select the Sindh under-19 team will be staged at Karachi’s National Stadium on September 17 and 18.

Bugti Stadium, Quetta, will be hosting trial matches September on 18 and 19 for selection of the Balochistan under-19 team.

The players invited for the trials are those who have represented Pakistan Under-19, or played under-19 tournaments in the 2019-20 domestic season, or played under-16 tournaments in the 2018-19 and 2017-18 domestic seasons and top performers of the inter-district tournament 2018-19.

“Strict Covid-19 protocols will be implemented to ensure health and safety of players,” the PCB said. “Temperature checks will be done on entry points of the venues. Players will have to wear masks when not inside the boundary ropes and maintain social distancing at any given time. Sharing of equipment and use of saliva on ball will not be allowed,” it added.

The National Under-19 One-Day Tournament and the National Under-19 Three-Day Tournament will be played at Lahore, Muridke and Sheikhupura from October 13 to November 29.