In a bid to attract more girls to cricket, Al-Nisa School Quetta has set-up the first-ever cricket academy for girls in Balochistan.
The academy was set-up in collaboration with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and CRIC4US Program.
The CRIC4US is also an initiative program launched by PCB in 2018 to target grassroot-level cricket under the flagship Women Cricket Vision 2022.
The purpose of the program is to develop women cricket at the grassroots level by establishing partnerships with schools across Pakistan.
The academy was launched on Wednesday, 17 July. However, training sessions at the academy will start after Eid-ul-Azha.
Senior General Manager Women’s Cricket Shahid Aslam said that she is delighted with this development. He further elaborated,
PCB has made elaborate plans of promoting the sport across the country at the grassroots level. By introducing the sport to school girls at the Al-Nisa School, we are striving to tap the talent in Quetta and steadily grow our network across Balochistan.
The school will run the academy and PCB local coach Aqil Khan and international Pakistan player Nahida Khan will also make regular visits to monitor the progress of the players.
The grassroots program offers an incredible opportunity to these players to explore the basics of the game before graduating to the national junior and senior levels. As the first step in the right direction, this initiative will form the pathways for future women players and school cricketers.
It is reported that PCB will continue its work with the government and private schools throughout the country in hopes that it will strengthen the player base at the grassroot-level.
The PCB coaches will assess the facilities, monitor the progress of the players and handpick talented players who can progress to a higher stage of development and participation.
