As the demand increases for university cricket to be made a permanent feature of Pakistan’s domestic structure, the University of Central Punjab (UCP) has offered its facilities and nationwide educational network to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for a joint cricket talent-hunt program.

Punjab Group Chairman Mian Amer has proposed a cooperation to discover talented young players, provide training chances and create a clearer pathway from university competitions to first-class cricket. Speaking at the UCP’s annual sports prize distribution ceremony held in Lahore, which was also attended by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad, he also asked the government to ensure that financial restrictions do not come in the way of outstanding students to pursue sporting careers.

Mian Amer commended the move being taken under the leadership of PCB and HEC that permits universities to send their teams instead of a limited group of players representing the whole university sector. The former set-up, where one HEC squad represented some 280 universities with only 11 players, was unable to provide opportunities to the whole pool of available talent.

The revamped approach allows for any university to send its squad to take part in the event, which was discussed at the ceremony. Mian Amer said the higher participation may help in unearthing a few hundred more players, providing the PCB a bigger pool from which to pick those good enough to represent Pakistan.

“He also commended Mohsin Naqvi and Dr Niaz Ahmad for opening new avenues for university cricketers, saying the move could help universities develop a direct link with the national cricket system.

Talent quest around the country

Mian Amer offered the cricket fields, facilities and sporting experience of UCP for joint training camps with PCB and HEC. He also suggested using the Punjab Group’s network of over 1,000 colleges across Pakistan to scout prospective players outside the big cities into smaller towns and rural regions.

The proposed agreement would involve a pooled database of university cricketers, PCB accreditation for campus coaches and specific cricket scholarships for promising players. Such metrics could help to detect rising potential and enhance coaching standards, as well as create a more systematic system for tracking players as they proceed through university competitions.

Mian Amer said that there was no dearth of sporting talent in Pakistan but the young athletes required the correct opportunities and encouragement to hone their ability. UCP has worked hard to polish the potential available to it and he expressed confidence that the sporting leadership of the university would continue to find promising athletes from around Punjab, he added.

Another issue raised by Mian Amer was women’s cricket and he appealed for the inclusion of female players from the start of the talent development program. He called on authorities to offer women athletes opportunity to receive structured training, to compete at higher levels and to move through the sporting system.

He also asked for a permanent place for university cricket in Pakistan’s domestic framework saying that development needed continuity rather than decisions being limited to certain seasons. He said sustained funding, scholarships, coaching, recognition and educational opportunities were crucial, warning that breaks might scatter talent and make it hard to restore a strong player base.

Talking about the changes in the domestic cricket structure of Pakistan, Mian Amer observed, “Discontinuation of departmental cricket had disrupted the flow of talent. Players have been dropped from departmental teams. It was some four years before any real effort was made to bring the pool of talent together again.

He praised Mohsin Naqvi for keeping his promise of reviving possibilities for cricketers and stated the national team of Pakistan started winning matches as the players got renewed opportunities to develop and compete.

Same chances

Mian Amer requested HEC to extend help to the public sector universities which find it difficult to compete in contests due to lack of funds. Financial restrictions should not be a barrier to pupils competing, developing their skills or pushing for positions in national squads, he said.

“Students from all backgrounds should be given a fair shot to succeed,” he said, calling for more support to institutions that can’t afford the expense of university competitions. “No player should be denied the opportunity to progress because their university is not well funded,” he remarked.

His pitch was not only to that particular sport, but to the whole sports system, for an atmosphere in which young athletes might develop their talent without undue restraint or financial impediment. He said all the students should be given a chance to compete for medals and bring laurels to Pakistan in sports at national and international levels.

The proposed partnership between HEC and PCB will increase participation in university cricket and also allow PCB to have access to a bigger pool of emerging talent. The format could provide more avenues for spotting talent and assist aspiring cricketers in their journey to domestic and international representation by enabling individual universities to compete.

The UCP has already made an impact on domestic cricket, with their side earning promotion to the Grade-II Gold League. Under the plan set out at the event a university that maintains Gold Category status for two years might see a university playing first-class cricket.

UCP planned to remain champions for the next season and attain first class status through the new pathway, Mian Amer remarked. The idea puts university tournaments at the heart of a more structured development system, connecting campus-level excellence with chances in the domestic game.

Athletics at UCP

Mian Amer added that Punjab Group of Colleges and UCP are committed to sports for the last three decades and the student athletes are encouraged to have academic qualifications along with their sports careers.

“The UCP’s specialised degree programs for sports students have been developed with the guidance of HEC and are designed to help athletes to continue their education while competing,” he said. The institutions’ athletic strategy also include coaching facilities, nourishment, travel accommodations, scholarships and long-term investment in athletes’ development.

Mian Amer said the Punjab Group of Colleges had won the overall champions’ trophy competitions held by the educational boards in Punjab for the last 30 years. UCP won the men’s General Trophy of HEC for 15 consecutive years out of over 280 universities.

He also pointed out the universities’ ties with Pakistan’s national cricket team, listing captain Salman Ali Agha, along with Abdul Samad, Tayyab Tahir, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Wahab Riaz as players linked to the Punjab Group of Colleges.

Mian Amer also spoke on Pakistan hockey and said the national team had to suffer lot of hardships before getting backing under Mohsin Naqvi’s leadership at PCB. Nine of the 11 members of Pakistan hockey squad were linked with Punjab Group of Colleges, he said.

The institution’s sporting affiliations are not limited to cricket and hockey. Mian Amer further mentioned wrestler Inam Butt who is a world champion and is linked with the Punjab Group of Colleges and also spoke about the successes of its students at the Commonwealth Games where they bagged one gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

The students of the group have competed in 22 international sports and the girls have continued to win trophy competitions conducted by the educational boards for the past 30 years in a row. The institutes have also lured athletes from rural areas across Punjab, where sports like kabaddi offer an entry point to competitive play. Mian Amer claimed that players from rural areas used to join Punjab Group’s program frequently and competed successfully for HEC awards.

UCP said that some 100 present and past students of Punjab Group of Colleges and UCP have represented Pakistan at world level in 22 sports.

During the occasion UCP emphasised its readiness to contribute its grounds, facilities, coaching resources and institutional network to the envisaged PCB-HEC collaboration. The objectives include a bigger talent assessment procedure, specialist coaching, scholarships and better possibilities for women cricketers. Calls for financial help seek to make sure that public-sector colleges can also participate.

The idea is to link university contests with a more regular route into domestic cricket so the PCB can gauge a larger pool of players as institutions battle for chances to go up to first-class cricket.