Pakistan Cricket Board Names U-21 Women's Tourney After Malala

The Pakistan Cricket Board, on the initiative of its chairman Shaharyar Khan, has named the country's inaugural Under-21 women's championship after Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan's young Nobel laureate for peace 2014. With 12 regional teams participating, 168 cricketers will get an opportunity to showcase their talent.

 

"The Nobel Prize for Peace for young Malala is a great honour for the entire nation. Not only has it given Pakistan's image a huge boost, to the young women in this country, and our women's cricket team in particular, it provides inspiration and stimulus to excel.

 

"Naming of our premier age-group women's event after is a tribute to her signal achievement", said Khan in Karachi on Friday.

 

On October 10, Malala, an ardent advocate of children's education with special emphasis on the right of girl child to education, became the youngest to win the Nobel Prize, sharing the honour with India's Kailash Satyarthi, who campaigns against child trafficking and child labour.

 

"The PCB has focused on the development of our women's team in recent times. Our women cricketers have gradually picked up and only last month, the women's team has retained the Asian Games gold at Incheon.

 

"This golden performance came on the back of a very competitive four-match series against Australia where our women though losing 4-0 gave a frontline team run for its money.

"Soon at every regional center PCB will be provide a dedicated ground so that our women cricketers could hone their skill-set in a safe environment.

 

"With so much effort and attention being given to our women's team, and with the way the game is spreading far and wide, I am sure it will provide our women cricketers the spur and the incentive to be amongst the very best in the world", said Khan.