PCB Expands School Cricket Programme to 1,400 Schools Across 100 Districts

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has significantly expanded its School Cricket Programme for the current season, with the competition now set to involve 1,400 schools across 100 districts in Pakistan.

The expanded initiative will bring approximately 21,000 students into organised cricket, providing young players with opportunities to compete, receive structured coaching and showcase their abilities.

A total of 2,895 matches are scheduled to be played during the season, creating a broader competitive platform for school-level cricketers across the country.

The latest expansion follows the programme’s inaugural 2025-26 edition, which featured 450 schools from 39 districts. That edition recorded the largest level of school cricket participation in Pakistan at the time.

The programme is being developed under the direction of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, with a focus on strengthening school cricket and identifying promising players at an early stage.

The PCB has also introduced several tournaments and development initiatives at the school level as part of its wider efforts to build a pathway for emerging cricketers.

Both government and private schools are taking part in the expanded programme. The PCB has also sought to increase participation outside Pakistan’s traditional cricket centres.

Schools from Gilgit to Gwadar are among the participants, while the programme also includes institutions from Kashmir, Larkana and other regions.

More than 80 schools from Dera Ismail Khan are participating, while 124 schools from the merged districts have also joined the competition.

Alongside the matches, the PCB is organising skills development camps at all 1,400 participating schools. The camps cover key areas including batting, bowling, fielding and physical fitness.

Regional and district-level coaches are leading the training sessions, with experienced coaches including former first-class and international cricketers involved in player development.

The competition has been structured around a multi-stage pathway designed to take promising players from district cricket toward higher levels of competition.

District league pool matches are scheduled to take place from September to October. The competition will then move into a knockout phase involving 100 teams in November.

The national stage is scheduled to run from late November through December, with the final planned for December 5.

Players who perform strongly during the programme will have opportunities to be considered for Pakistan’s U15, U17 and U19 cricket structures.

Successful young cricketers will also gain access to the PCB’s 16 regional academies and wider regional cricket system, providing an additional development pathway beyond school competition.

The expanded School Cricket Programme is part of the PCB’s broader approach to identifying young talent before players reach senior-level cricket.

By combining competitive matches with coaching and skills development, the programme aims to give students regular exposure to organised cricket while helping coaches identify players with potential for progression.

The participation of schools from a wider range of regions also increases the geographical reach of the initiative, giving young cricketers outside established cricket centres an opportunity to enter the PCB’s development system.

With 1,400 schools and around 21,000 students involved, the current season represents a substantial increase in the scale of Pakistan’s organised school cricket programme.