Lahore: The Lahore City Cricket Association Ground (LCCA) is set to be the venue for the eagerly anticipated U19 Women’s T20 Tournament 2024, which kicks off tomorrow. The competition will feature five teams Challengers, Conquerors, Invincibles, Stars, and Strikers in a robust double-league format.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board, the tournament will consist of 21 matches, all taking place at the LCCA Ground, with each team playing eight matches leading up to the finals scheduled for November 3. The games are set to begin at 9:00 AM, with a second match following at 1:00 PM PKT each day.
This year’s tournament is not just a competition but also a pivotal platform for 75 young cricketers, who will vie for a prize pot totaling PKR 1.1 million. The winning team will earn PKR 0.5 million, while the runners-up will take home PKR 0.3 million. Beyond the financial incentives, the tournament serves as a critical opportunity for these athletes to showcase their skills and potentially secure a spot in the Pakistan Women’s U19 team for upcoming international engagements, including the ACC U19 T20 later this year and the ICC U19 Women’s T20 in Malaysia in January 2025.
Highlighting the talent pool, eight participants, including Areesha Ansari and Komal Khan from Conquerors, and Maham Anaees from Strikers, have previously represented Pakistan in the Women’s U19 Tri-Nation tournament in Bangladesh. The players, hailing from 15 different cities such as Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, and Mardan, were selected after nationwide open trials held in August and September, overseen by a selection committee featuring former Test cricketer Asad Shafiq and former international cricketer Batool Fatima.