PCB’s urge to fix what isn’t broken threatens T20 Cup

National T20 Cup might prove to be a hit despite concerns

More is not always better, but less is not necessarily the recipe for success either. And that’s the polorising hot topic currently keeping folks in Pakistan’s domestic cricket circuit preoccupied.

Ever since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in line with its newfound tendency to chop and change just for the sake it, reduced the number of teams for the upcoming National T20 Cup from 18 to just eight, the decision’s opponents and proponents have been in disagreement.

Critics feel the jury is still out on the PCB’s constant tweaking of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QAT), which has seen its format revised four times in the last five years. They were still coming to terms with the downsizing of the country’s premier long format tournament from 24 teams to just 16 — a move they claim hasn’t reaped any apparent benefits — when the PCB went snipping with its T20 counterpart.

It is now feared that with only seven grade, one regional teams and one grade two team participating, the National T20 Cup might experience a dip in fan interest.

As in the QAT case, the reasoning put forward by the PCB is that lowering the number of teams raises the standard of the tournament, which in turn supplies the national pool with more refined talent. But on the flip side, it also means that due to extreme competition for spaces, a number of talented players would likely miss out on testing their skills and experiencing a major domestic tournament.

Similarly, domestic players for whom the National T20 Cup was a major opportunity to earn will now have one less opportunity to get paid.

Having lesser teams, however, is not the only problem the PCB has created with its latest round of tweaks. The draft process, which the board has quickly acquired a taste for, is another divisive issue.

Owing to its nature, the draft has seen its talent pool distributed among the eight teams without any regional filtration whatsoever. Teams were allowed to select almost anyone with their picks but at the expense of local rivalries.

Hence, there exists a genuine concern that with their beloved locals playing for their rivals, the tournament might lack the traditional aggression.

Another cause of concern is the PCB’s failure to find a better slot for the tournament. The event is scheduled to begin in Rawalpindi from August 25, while the next phase will be staged in Multan from September 5. These dates will clash with the national team’s ongoing tour of England, leading to the absence of Pakistan’s elite cricketing talent.

The fans who are usually attracted to the stadia by big names and bonafide stars may now be reluctant to show the same enthusiasm which they would otherwise have.

T20, by default, is the most exciting format of the gentleman’s game. Hence, the National T20 Cup might prove to be a hit despite the aforementioned concerns. But something tells us that for the biggest domestic T20 tournament of the season, nothing should have been left to chance.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.

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