LAHORE: One of the country’s most iconic stadiums – National Stadium Karachi – will now be known as the National Bank Cricket Arena.

The development came under the light of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).

The five-year MoU signing resulted in NBP acquiring the stadium’s naming rights.

“Besides the naming rights agreement, the PCB and NBP will also collaborate and partner on sponsoring initiatives to promote and develop grassroots cricket across the country, including supporting the PCB initiatives of scouting local talent in the rural areas of Pakistan,” the PCB said in a press release.

Amid the MoU signing ceremony, the chairman of PCB Ramiz Raja extended his gratitude to the NBP for joining hands with the cricket board.

“I want to welcome National Bank of Pakistan back in the PCB family after having supported Pakistan cricket in the past. NBP again partnering with the PCB is a great news as this reflects that prestigious organisations are willing to be associated with the Pakistan cricket brand as they see a lot of value in it for themselves,” said Raja.

“Additionally, I am grateful to the National Bank of Pakistan for also extending support to the PCB Pathways Programme. I have always emphasised on creating processes for the raw talent that can be professionally channelized into the national framework. In this background, this partnership with NBP is a significant movement in that direction,” he added.

NBP President and CEO Rehmat Ali Hasnie, on the other hand, seconded Ramiz’s remarks and expressed delight for partnering with the PCB.

“We are delighted to partner with the Pakistan Cricket Board. The National Stadium, Karachi is one of the most iconic cricket venues in the world and has hosted some of the legends of all eras since Test cricket was first played there,” said Hasnie.

“We are honoured to associate with such an incredible cricket venue, our endeavour during the next five years would be to help the PCB further uplift the venue while making contributions to Pakistan cricket across the country at the grass root level simultaneously,” he concluded.

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