The Pakistan Cricket Board and the National Bank of Pakistan have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the naming rights of one of the country’s most iconic Test venues, the National Stadium in Karachi. As such, the venue will now be known as the National Bank Cricket Arena.
Besides the naming rights agreement, the PCB and NBP will also collaborate and partner on sponsoring initiatives to promote and develop grassroots cricket across the country, including supporting the PCB initiatives of scouting local talent in the rural areas of Pakistan.
PCB Chairman, Ramiz Raja, said, “I want to welcome the National Bank of Pakistan back into the PCB family after having supported Pakistan cricket in the past. NBP again partnering with the PCB is great news as this reflects that prestigious organizations are willing to be associated with the Pakistan cricket brand as they see a lot of value in it for themselves.”
Additionally, I am grateful to the National Bank of Pakistan for also extending support to the PCB Pathways Programme. I have always emphasized creating processes for raw talent that can be professionally channelized into the national framework. In this background, this partnership with NBP is a significant movement in that direction.
NBP President & CEO, Rehmat Ali Hasnie, expressed his joy at the signing, saying, “We are delighted to partner with the Pakistan Cricket Board. The National Stadium, Karachi is one of the most iconic cricket venues in the world and has hosted some of the legends of all eras since Test cricket was first played there.”
“We are honored to associate with such an incredible cricket venue, our endeavor during the next five years would be to help the PCB further uplift the venue while making contributions to Pakistan cricket across the country at the grass root level simultaneously,” he added.
As per the MoU, the National Bank of Pakistan will be allowed to use the venue nomenclature and signage outside the playing area.
