- Nearly 3,000 U19 players are subjected to age verification tests using the most recent scientific method.
- These tests cost PCB PKR10 million.
- The media release is also available in Urdu. Please Click Here
11 May 2022, Lahore: To ensure a level playing field for all teenage cricketers, the Pakistan Cricket Board used cutting-edge scientific techniques to conduct age verification tests on 2,976 players ahead of the City Cricket Association U19 50-over tournament, which begins on May 21 and also for the upcoming first ever Junior PSL which will begin from 6 Oct to 21 Oct 2022 in Lahore.
To radiologically estimate ages, top radiologists in the country were consulted, and scientifically validated methods were used. X-rays were taken on multiple body joints to increase accuracy in these tests, which cost PKR 10 million. Leading radiologists then reviewed the results. This was in contrast to previous practise, which only evaluated wrist x-rays.
Players have been observed manipulating their ages to gain an unfair advantage in age-group competitions in previous seasons, which has not only harmed the spirit of the game but also put deserving teenage cricketers at a disadvantage, hampering their growth and development.
This initiative is part of PCB’s efforts to promote teenage cricketers to declare their physiochemical ages correctly when competing in age-group tournaments, and it comes after a large-scale effort in January to determine correct ages of participants ahead of the U13 and U16 Cricket Association tournaments.
“The participation of overage players in age-group cricket is a menace and has proven to be detrimental in the growth and development of cricketers at the young level,” says Nadeem Khan, Director of High Performance Center Lahore.
“It was critical that we take this significant step to instil transparency in the upcoming season. We have paid a high price for this extensive exercise because we are committed to ensuring the credibility of our cricket mechanisms in producing Pakistan’s future stars.”
For the first time, the PCB has lowered the age limit to discourage players from falsifying their ages on official documents. The CCA U19 tournament, which runs from May 21 to June 4, is open to players born on or after September 1, 2003, but before September 1, 2007.
