The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced a new concept called ever Pakistan Junior League to groom U-19 players. It is primarily a domestic T20 competition which is reportedly scheduled to be held in October this year. The PCB, in its press release, has made sponsorship requests for multiple tournament rights that include the title sponsorship, live-streaming, category sponsorships, team franchises, etc. “I am thrilled and excited that after days of hard work and planning, we have today released the Expression of Interest document for the Pakistan Junior League, the first-ever international league of its kind in the world, the first edition of which we plan to organise this year in October,” said PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja.
“This will be a city-based league with players to be selected through a draft system involving international age-group cricketers. The PCB will create an environment of brilliance with legends and icons of this game sitting in player dug-outs in the roles of mentors and coaches, and broadcast coverage from the top draw”. he added.“Initiatives like the PJL are all about creating opportunities for cricketers, identifying the talent, nurturing them into world-class players, and closing the gap between domestic and international cricket”, the 1992 World Cup winner said.Giving further clarification on the same, Ramiz Raja added that the main goal of this initiative is to bring professionalism and also create an environment of brilliance and achievement. He also explained how a 16-year-old will become enthusiastic about playing cricket once he gets into the drafts and starts earning. He further added how this will develop a sense of responsibility in the youngsters and how they will be able to perform under pressure by scoring runs and taking wickets.
According to the PCB boss, the international boards have been sounded out and all of them are receptive to the idea. "Planning for this had been going on for quite some time, we have bounced the idea to our ICC colleagues during recent meetings in Dubai and they seemed quite interested in the project," the former Pakistan captain said. There was a policy in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not to allow age group players to Twenty20 cricket but Raja said he does not see any oddity in the initiative. "They will get exposure to the pressure situations and will know how to perform -- score runs and take wickets - in such a demanding environment. When they graduate to the senior grade cricket, they will have been used to such match situations," Ramiz explained saying each player will be allowed an escort of a parent with him. "We will make future stars of world cricket at Pakistan Junior League."
