National One-Day Cup: Players incensed with decision of changing venues

Participants of One-Day event flay PCB for shifting matches from Karachi.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision of moving the Faysal Bank One-day Cup matches away from Karachi did not go down well with the city’s teams who now face hectic travelling to interior Sindh.

The PCB had shifted the matches over security concerns after a political party had announced a strike for an indefinite period that created an uncertain situation. Although the strike was called off on the same day, the PCB still went forward with their decision and released the schedule on the following day.

The players vented their feelings by stating that it felt the years had been reversed for them as they have to bear the hardships similar to those of their early playing days instead of getting the improved cricket and facilities.

Sialkot Stallions complained against the exhausted travelling as they were scheduled to play Multan Tigers at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh today.

“It seems there is no one to ask the PCB officials about their actions,” said a Stallions’ player while on his way to Larkana. “Our matches have been shifted to a centre where there are no standard teams or even cricketers.

“We used to suffer similar levels of anxiety about travelling and staying in low-standard places when we were playing matric-board and Inter-board matches for our city teams. The years have been rolled back for us and I don’t know what else we would have to see and face because of the PCB.”

The players said the security situation had been uncertain in Karachi for several months but cricket was still played in the city and residents had become used to the disturbances.

Karachi Dolphins players expressed their frustration against the PCB for staging matches in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh at the Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto International Cricket Stadium after returning from their originally scheduled match against Hyderabad Hawks which they had lost.

“It took 11 hours of travelling for us to play the match against Hyderabad Hawks at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh which is very frustrating,” one of the Dolphins’ players said.

“We reached Larkana at midnight and had the match next morning. In the morning, we had to wake up early because there was another hour’s travelling to the ground which left our bodies stiff and sore. We are bearing all this inconvenient scheduling because of the board’s non-caring attitude.”

He added that all over the world, cricket improved as the players grow up and start their professional career but the situation here seemed to be different and unique.

It was further learnt that the hotels provided to the travelling teams in Larkana were below standard while the players also fear for their security when journeying for hours on the roads of interior Sindh.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2013.