Lahore, July 3, 2025: In a significant step toward strengthening grassroots cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced it will annually recognize and reward the country’s best-performing region for cricket development.
The decision was taken during the PCB’s 78th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore on Thursday.
“The board has decided to annually recognize and reward the region that shows exceptional performance in promoting and developing cricket,” said a statement issued by the PCB. “This initiative aims to incentivize regional bodies to enhance their efforts in talent development, infrastructure, and competitive performance.”
The BoG also unanimously approved a budget of PKR 18.30 billion for the fiscal year 2025–26, following a detailed briefing by Chief Financial Officer Javed Murtaza. The budget focuses on domestic and international cricket development, infrastructure enhancement, and grassroots programs.
In addition to Chairman Naqvi, the meeting was attended by BoG members Zaheer Abbas, Sajjad Ali Khokhar, Zafarullah, Tariq Sarwar, as well as senior PCB officials including Sameer Ahmed, COO, Salman Naseer, CEO, Pakistan Super League, Amir Mir, Director Media & Communications, Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director Domestic Cricket and Rafia Haider, Head of Women’s Cricket.
Other board members, including Usman Wahla, Anwar Ghani, Mustafa Ramday, Daniyal Gilani, Anwar Ahmed Khan, and Dr. Shafi Rehman, joined via video link.
The board also agreed to implement regular performance monitoring of PCB staff to improve internal governance and efficiency. Additionally, decisions taken in the previous BoG meeting were formally ratified.
The new regional award initiative is expected to create healthy competition among cricket regions and enhance the overall structure of domestic cricket across Pakistan.
