After an exciting one-day tournament, U19 cricketers from the six Cricket Associations begin their quest for the National U19 Three-Day Tournament trophy from Thursday (tomorrow).

The event, which serves as another opportunity for these players to showcase their talents, will be played across Lahore, Muridke and Sheikhupura.

Sindh who successfully defended the one-day title on Monday afternoon at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, will be also eyeing to defend the three-day title with PKR1.5million on offer as a winning prize. The runner-up will bag PKR750,000.

The players will have the incentive to bring out their best performances as the tournament’s top performers – best player, best batsman, best bowler and best wicketkeeper – will receive PKR50,000 each. The player of the final will be awarded PKR25,000.

This year’s tournament will be played on a single-league basis and the top two teams at the end of the league stage will compete in the final – a four-day affair - that will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium from 26 November.

The captains of the six teams are keenly looking forward to the event which will provide them and their teammates a great opportunity of proving their temperament and skills for the longer formats of the game.

Balochistan U19 captain Mohammad Ibrahim Snr said: “We would aim to improve on our performance in the one-day tournament. The red-ball format is really exciting and provides a great chance to the players to prove their mettle. We have a talented pool of players who can perform well in the longer format; the three-day tournament will provide good competition and exposure to the players.”

Central Punjab U19 captain Mohammad Huraira commented: “Three-day cricket is all about patience and adapting to the situation. Both batsmen and bowlers need to stay patient to earn success in the longer format of the game. We have a balanced squad that has the potential of winning the title. We look forward to delivering to the best of our ability in the tournament.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 captain Abbas Ali stated: “We are excited about the tournament as it provides another golden opportunity to all squad members to prove their abilities and credentials. The longer format allows the batsmen to take their time and settle at the crease. We hope to occupy the crease for long periods and score runs. We also need to improve our fielding and ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes we made in the one-day event.”

Northern U19 captain Mohammad Raza-ul-Mustafa added: “We have a good combination that is backed by a very strong coaching staff that is working very hard. Our aim is to minimise our mistakes and make the most of the opportunity that we have in the three-day format. This tournament will be competitive with all six teams trying their best to lift the trophy. We firmly believe our team has a good chance of winning and we will do our best.”

Sindh U19 captain Saim Ayub said: “Our aim would be to adjust to the longer format as quickly as we can. We have a very capable and talented squad and we would aim to perform to our best at any given situation. We want to retain our title after our success in the one-day format; I will fully back the team as a leader with an aim of leading from the front with my own performances.”

Southern Punjab U19 captain Mohammad Shehzad added: “We look forward to doing well in the three-day format. The tournament provides a great opportunity to all our players. We want to express ourselves and play to the best of our ability with an aim of lifting the trophy. It should be an exciting tournament.”