LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said the board will focus on the training and nutritional needs of players from selected schools as part of its expanded school cricket talent hunt programme.
Speaking to the media at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Naqvi said 1,400 schools across 100 districts are participating in the 2026–27 PCB Talent Hunt Programme for Schools, with around 21,000 students expected to take part. The programme is scheduled to begin on September 19.
Naqvi said the PCB plans to adopt the 50 best-performing school teams and provide greater attention to the development, training and nutrition of their players.
He added that the individual performances of participating students will also be monitored to help identify promising cricketers and provide them with opportunities to progress through the PCB’s age-group and player-development pathways. The PCB has said the best-performing school cricketers will be integrated into its broader pathway system.
The PCB chairman said there is also a proposal to appoint a dedicated director for school cricket. He said the board wants the talent hunt initiative to become a permanent programme rather than an annual exercise.
The programme has been expanded significantly this year, growing from 450 schools in 39 districts during its first season to 1,400 schools across 100 districts. The PCB says training and preparation camps for participating schools have already been conducted ahead of the tournament.
Naqvi said the programme also includes schools from areas such as Gwadar, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, reflecting the PCB’s effort to extend school cricket opportunities beyond traditional cricket centres.
He said the number of participating schools could initially be increased from 1,400 to 2,000, with a longer-term objective of taking school cricket to between 3,000 and 5,000 schools.
According to Naqvi, Pakistan has no shortage of cricketing talent, but access to facilities and opportunities remains a key challenge. He said wider school-cricket coverage could help identify players from remote and less-exposed areas.
The PCB has also said it has provided venues and cricket equipment to schools that lacked their own facilities as part of efforts to broaden participation.
Naqvi further said around 70 PCB grounds have returned to the board’s control, while work is continuing with the Sindh government on the rehabilitation of Hyderabad Stadium.
He said the success of school cricket would require coordinated efforts by the PCB and provincial governments to create sustainable opportunities for young players.
The second season of the PCB Talent Hunt Programme for Schools will officially open at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on September 19, with Beaconhouse School and Aitchison College scheduled to play the opening match.
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