Six regional associations will compete in the U-19 Women’s T20 Tournament, which the PCB will begin on August 13. The 10-day round-robin event, which gives a stage to 84 participants in total with 15 reserve players on standby, will take place at Lahore Country Club in Muridke.

The PCB wants to use the competition to “build a strong talent pool” in the nation in preparation for the first U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa the following year.

Participants must have been born on or after September 1, 2003, to be eligible for the competition. There were barely 30-35 competent cricketers available for Pakistan’s senior women’s team since there were no lines leading all the way down to the grassroots level. The National T20 and ODI Challenge Cups, which each included three teams, were the only two competitions for women’s cricket in the nation up to this point.

With squads chosen through nationwide open trials, followed by practise matches amongst the chosen players at the PCB-run women’s regional academies, this U-19 Women’s T20 Tournament seeks to provide a more tangible pathway to senior cricket.

The PCB has previously organised junior women’s cricket matches, nevertheless. A yearly U-17 tournament was held by the PCB between 2004 and 2008. From 2009 to 2013, a U-19 competition took its place. However, a regulatory change in 2013 resulted in the cancellation of all youth-level women’s events.

The Participating Squads Are As Mentioned:

Central Punjab U-19: Shawal Zulfiqar (capt), Areesha Noor, Eyman Fatima, Farah Imran, Haleema Azeem Dar, Haleema Dua, Jaweria Ali, Komal Khan, Laiba Nasir, Noor Fatima, Quratulain Ahsen, Rida Aslam, Warda Yousaf and Zamina Tahir Chugtai

Balochistan U-19: Humaira Ghulam Hussain (capt), Alisha Aslam, Aman Fatima, Amina Javed, Azra Habibullah, Dura-E-Nayab, Fakhra Abdullah, Fiza Noor, Kalsoom Kakar, Madhur Moolani, Misha Kareem, Ruqia Nazar, Shakira Ahmed and Shamim Amirullah

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U-19: Zaibunisa Niaz (capt), Aleesha Khan, Aliza Khan, Bakhtawar Arifullah, Gule Nayab, Hansa Zair Gul, Humaira Husain, Jalwa Anwar, Javeria Qamar, Mahnoor Aftab, Malaika Afridi, Sumbal Liaquat, Tayyaba Imdad and Tehzeeb Shah

Northern U-19: Maham Anees (capt), Fatima Sardar, Hadia Mushtaq, Kainat Riasat, Laiba Mubashar, Maheen Irfan, Malaika Noor, Mariyam Shehzadi, Muskan Abid, Noor Fatima, Rida Ashfaq, Sarah Jan Peter, Syeda Hania Zehra and Tahira Malik

Sindh U-19: Aroob Shah (capt), Abeera Kaleem, Aliza Sabir, Anosha Nasir, Dina Razvi, Eman Adeel, Farhia Fahim, Haniah Ahmer, Kainat Eman Shah, Khizra Rani, Sara Fatima, Taskeen Fatima, Tooba Khan and Wasfa Hussain

Southern Punjab U-19: Aqsa Hafeez (capt), Anam Bibi, Aqsa Yousaf, Eman Fatima, Javeria Asharaf, Javeria Siddique, Laila Manzoor, Muqadas Bukhari, Rimsha Shehzadi, Sahar Fatima, Sana Khan, Sania Mazhar, Shameer Rajpoot and Uzma Iqbal