Lahore January 17, 2012: The Pakistan Cricket Board and Zarai Taraqyati Bank Ltd. (ZTBL) announced the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Challenge Trophy in a joint press conference held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The ZTBL is collaborating with PCB by providing its corporate support for an event that aspires to promote women’s cricket in Pakistan.
The PCB Women’s Wing Chairman Ms Bushra Aitizaz and Mr. Anjum Saeed Akhtar, MD & COO Kissan Support ZTBL, addressed the press conference.
Six women teams will be competing for the coveted Trophy that is named after Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The first edition of this T20 competition commences on January 22, 2012 and from now on it will be an annual event.
For the 2012 Trophy national level players have been divided into these six teams: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw, Balochistan, Federal Capital and the ZTBL.
To make the format exceptionally competitive, the six teams have been divided into two pools, with the winner of each pool qualifying for the final.
The opening ceremony of the event will be held on January 22 at the Kinnaird College Ground while the final will be played on January 24 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. On the first two days, three matches a day have been scheduled, with two to be played at Gaddafi Stadium and one at the Kinnaird College ground.
Another additional incentive providing competitive edge will be that the matches held at Gaddafi Stadium will be televised live by PTV Sports.
Entry for families and female spectators at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore is free.
Ms Bushra Aitizaz, Chairman PCB Women Wing at this occasion said, “Pakistan Cricket Board is committed to promote cricket on all levels in the country. Having been neglected for so long, women cricket needs special attention. In the short span of time that we have been sponsored adequately by the PCB, our women cricketers have taken major strides in international cricket – winning the Asian title, qualifying for ICC Women Cricket World Cup and punching above our weight in bilateral series against better ranked opposition.
“Now we not only need to sustain but improve our standards to be the best in the world. We need to consolidate the pool of available cricketers, and improve on a consistent basis. This new addition to our cricketing calendar is an endeavour to give our players greater exposure to competitive cricket. This will be an opportunity for our top players to showcase their talent and polish their skills by competing against the best in the country.”
She further added, “I urge the Lahorites to bring along their families to witness these matches. This will boost the morale of our women cricketers and at the same time send a positive signal to international community, projecting Pakistan as a safe place to play cricket."
Mr. Anjum Saeed Akhtar, MD & COO Kissan Support ZTBL said, "ZTBL is a farmer-friendly and sports-friendly organization. In the last three years we have beefed up our sports teams by employing fresh talent. This has paid dividends as the ZTBL teams have excelled on the national level. Our women team is winning the national championship for last two years. We had ten members in the National Women Team that won the Asian Gold medal last year.
“Now we are extremely happy to have provided this inaugural women’s event our support, believing that it would go a long way in promoting women’s cricket”.
The prize money for the tournament is as under:
| Winner Team: | Rs. 100,000 |
| Runners Up Team: | Rs. 50,000 |
| Player of the Tournament: | Rs. 25,000 |
| Player of the Match: | Rs. 10,000 |
Pool A |
Pool B |
| Punjab (A) | ZTBL (D) |
| Federal Capital (B) | Sindh (E) |
| K.P.K (C) | Baluchistan (F) |
| Date | Day | Activity | Team | v | Team | Start | Venue |
| 21st Jan, 2012 | Sat. | Team’s Arrival | Lahore | ||||
| 22th Jan, 2012 | Sun. | Pool – A | Punjab | v | Federal Capital | 1100 hrs | Kinnaird College |
| Pool – B | ZTBL | v | Sindh | 0930 hrs | G.S.L | ||
| Sindh | v | Baluchistan | 1300 hrs | ||||
| 23rd Jan, 2012 | Mon. | Pool – B | Baluchistan | v | ZTBL | 1100 hrs | Kinnaird College |
| Pool – A | Punjab | v | K.P.K | 0930 hrs | G.S.L | ||
| Federal Capital | v | K.P.K | 1300 hrs | ||||
| 24th Jan, 2012 | Tue. | FINAL | Winner Pool – A | v | Winner Pool – B | 1100 hrs | G.S.L |
| 25th Jan, 2012 | Wed. | Team’s Departure | |||||
Saqib Irfan: Manager Umpires, Referees & Domestic Cricket Operations.
