PCB Expands School Cricket Drive Across 100 Districts Nationwide

The PCB Talent Hunt Programme is back for a second season, and this time the Pakistan Cricket Board is aiming even higher. The nationwide project will run from September 15 to December 5, bringing together 1,200 schools selected from more than 3,300 registrations received from 100 districts.

The announcement came on Monday at Gaddafi Stadium, where PCB Senior General Manager Domestic Cricket Operations Osama Sharoon appeared alongside selection committee member Misbah-ul-Haq to outline the schedule.

Before the tournament begins, participating schools will enter a month-long preparation phase. Training camps are scheduled from August 10 to September 10, while trials and team selection are expected to finish by July 30. The PCB will then complete its verification process before camps begin.

The board has also committed equipment, financial support and qualified coaches for deserving teams. That investment reflects a wider effort to strengthen Pakistan school cricket, an area many former players believe has been overlooked for years.

District competitions will open the tournament before the winners move into provincial knockout rounds during the first half of November. The national stage, including the final, is scheduled from November 20 to December 5.

Misbah-ul-Haq said school tournaments remain the strongest starting point for young cricketers hoping to progress through regional age-group systems. According to him, regular competitive matches at school level help players develop much earlier before reaching Under-17 and Under-19 cricket.

The PCB Talent Hunt Programme is also expected to widen the search for promising players outside the traditional cricket centres. With hundreds of schools entering organized competition, selectors will have a larger pool to monitor throughout the season.

For Pakistan school cricket, the expanded tournament signals another attempt to rebuild the grassroots structure and create a clearer pathway from classrooms to professional cricket.