islamabad - Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson on Saturday appreciated students of various schools for participating in the PCB-AHC Girls’ Cricket Cup and welcomed ‘continued’ support of Pakistan Cricket Board and a local five-star hotel for the annual event.
The Australian High Commission (AHC) and the PCB with support of the five-star hotel hosted 3rd PCB-AHC Girls’ Cricket Cup at Marghazar Cricket Ground, Islamabad.
“Sharing a passion with Pakistan for cricket, the AHC was pleased to join the PCB and Serena Hotels again to host this initiative to empower girls through cricket and promote gender equality through sport,” Adamson said while addressing on the occasion.
The PCB-AHC Girls’ Cup 2018 involved teams from four schools; Special Education School for Girls with Hearing Impairment, H-9, Islamabad Model School for Girls, F-7/2, Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-7/2 and Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-11/1. The girls attended a 5-day coaching clinic in the lead up to the competition conducted by first-class women cricketers and PCB coach Farrukh Hayat.
“We were particularly pleased to have participation of the women first class players who helped to build confidence, foster team spirit and encourage the girls to push beyond the boundaries,” the high commissioner said.
Aziz Boolani, CEO Serena Hotels, said on the occasion, “Cricket is a passion in Pakistan and as a sport; it embodies all the best attributes of any game, encouraging teamwork, discipline, hard work and strategic thinking”. Under Serena Hotels Sports Diplomacy initiatives, he said, we support, facilitate and sponsor numerous sporting events and our commitments to sports diplomacy and women’s empowerment have found expression in the PCB-AHC Girls’ Cricket Cup. This tournament provides a wonderful vehicle for promoting and highlighting the importance of gender equality in sport, he said.
This year’s competition was also supported by Malik Sports through donation of cricket equipment and the Islamabad Region Cricket Association which provided the ground facilities.