Every News: Don’t mess up domestic cricket

Don’t mess up domestic cricket
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From Sarfraz AhmedLAHORE: Two back-to-back meetings on domestic cricket structuring ended under the new PCB management here on Wednesday.Following the acceptance of a demand from regional representatives in the last Board of Governors (BoG) confluence, head of Task Force on Domestic Cricket Restructuring, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain invited heads of departmental teams and regional chiefs for apparently brainstorming sessions.The purpose, as read between the lines, was to consult these stakeholders before presenting a final revamped domestic structure to inject quality into it.Careful analysis shows the entire exercise to be contrary to the vision of Imran Khan, the Prime Minister and Patron of PCB.The premier wants the end of departments fielding their own teams in the first class competition. But he does agree to see rich departments sponsoring first class teams of associations.The other key part of his vision is to have only half a dozen or so teams playing in first class tourney on home and away basis as happens in Australia.“What PCB bigwigs are thinking is not on those lines that the Prime Minister has been advocating,” said a regional head on the condition of anonymity.“In opposition to Imran Khan’s vision, the PCB top brass are trying to help departments virtually take over the reins of elected regional associations,” he added.This would have three far-reaching consequences. The departments would survive; the associations would be decimated with no say in first class cricket; and the domestic cricket would suffer grossly, losing its notion of community support.A disheartened regional official said: “The powerful department heads on the BoGs are trying to suppress voice and role of elected associations.”Interviews and frank discussions with several cricketers, coaches and other stakeholders paint a gloomy picture if the vision of Imran Khan is thwarted.Many say it would be unfortunate if Khan’s vision of community participation and support is dumped by giving departments the control of associations.The solution for Pakistan domestic cricket still is to let regions and departments raise their own teams as both are stakeholders of PCB under the present constitution. Imran’s vision of having domestic cricket system like Australia or England may not be applicable here in Pakistan as there is a lot of difference in socio-economic conditions. Most significant difference is that in Australia and England there is social security for the masses.Sportsmen need jobs which even big associations cannot provide to their players. So departments and regions should go together. Imran Khan himself played for two departments in the early stages of his career. First, he played for Dawood Club, headed by Zakria Ghani, which also included Test cricketers Mudassar Nazar, Shafiq Papa, Agha Zahid, Abdul Qadir, Sultan Rana and Muhammad Sabir. Imran also played for PIA.Abolishing departmental cricket will do no good to Pakistan cricket which has produced and is still producing world icons. Players are nurtured at club, association and departmental levels before moving ahead. Those at the helm of affairs should keep in mind that ending departmental cricket will render thousands of cricketers jobless in the country.