Streamlining pathways cricket and creating more playing opportunities for talented cricketers was the cornerstone of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s 2022-23 men’s domestic cricket season, which was revealed today.
The seniors cricket will commence with the 33-match two-leg National T20, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Multan from 30 August to 19 September. Concurrently, the second XIs Cricket Associations Cup will be played in Quetta from 2-15 September.
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the jewel in the PCB’s crown, will be staged from 27 September to 30 November with Abbottabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi sharing 31 matches between them. The Cricket Associations Championship will be played alongside the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in the same cities from 27 September to 23 November.
Curtains on the 2022-23 domestic cricket season will fall with the 33-match Pakistan Cup 50-over tournament, which will be staged in Karachi from 10 December to 3 January. Karachi will also stage the Cricket Associations Challenge from 10-29 December.
In all, 187 matches are scheduled to be played over 127 days (30 August to 3 January).
Salient features of the PCB 2022-23 men’s domestic cricket calendar are:
• Six-team Cricket Associations Cup (T20 format) will now be played on a double-league basis. This means each side will get a minimum of 10 matches and a total of 30 matches will be played. Previously, the event was held on a single-league basis with 15 matches.
• Six-team Cricket Associations Championship will now be a four-day non first-class competition. Previously, it was a three-day tournament
• Six-team Cricket Associations Championship will be played on a double-league basis. This means each side will get a minimum of 10 matches and a total of 30 matches will be played. Previously, the event was held on a single-league basis with 15 matches.
• Six-team Cricket Associations Challenge will be played on a double-league basis. This means each side will get a minimum of 10 matches and a total of 30 matches will be played. Previously, the event was held on a single-league basis with 15 matches.
• The seniors’ competitions will follow the CCA U19 tournament (21 May-4 June), CA Divisional U19 tournament (10-17 June), CCA Senior Tournament (19 June-21 July) and National U19 Cup (28 June-8 July). The National U19 Championship commenced in Karachi from 25 July and will conclude on 23 August, while the CA Divisional Senior Tournament will take place from 27 July to 12 August.
Director High Performance, Nadeem Khan: “Making the domestic events competitive and challenging, while continuing to provide maximum opportunities to our talented cricketers to demonstrate their talent and help them graduate to the higher level, was the mainstay of our thought-process when we finalised the upcoming domestic season calendar.
“Last year, we allowed each Cricket Association to field two under-19 sides in the National tournaments and this year we have increased the number of matches in the second XI CA Cup, Championship and Challenge. This means each player will get a minimum of 10 matches across all three formats, which provides a good enough opportunity for any player to show his mettle and talent, and stake his claim in the first XI competitions.
“We have introduced a new concept whereby the non first-class CA Championship matches will be four-day fixtures. This will ensure the matches are well-contested and result-oriented, and the players get full opportunity to make the best from these games. This will also help in narrowing the gap with our first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in which only the best of the best participate.
“We have also tried to streamline the player development and progression. Now, a talented U19 cricketer will not have to wait until the next year before playing in the seniors’ competition. I am sure that this year, we will see a few outstanding U19 cricketers from the CCA, CA and National tournaments that will feature in the topline events, as the pathways events have been designed to lead into the main competitions.
“Last year, youngsters Mubasir Khan of Northern and Balochistan’s Haseebullah were adjudged players of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Pakistan Cup, respectively. It was heartwarming for the PCB to see the youngsters stepping up and dominating these tournaments, as this not only reflected the talent in our country but also demonstrated the high standard of our events.
“I remain optimistic that a good number of youngsters will make a name for themselves from the forthcoming tournaments which, in turn, will help us increase the pool of our national team bench players.”
PCB 2022-23 men’s domestic cricket calendar:
30 Aug-19 Sep – National T20; Rawalpindi and Multan
2-15 Sep – Cricket Associations T20; Quetta
27 Sep-30 Nov – Quaid-e-Azam Trophy; Abbottabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi
27 Sep-23 Nov – Cricket Associations Championship; Abbottabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi
10 Dec-3 Jan- Pakistan Cup; Karachi
10-29 Dec – Cricket Associations Challenge; Karachi
