Pakistan Task Team report: Regional associations ‘geared up’ for positive change

Bodies want PCB’s support to improve state of domestic cricket.

LAHORE:

In a bid to improve the state of domestic cricket, the only kind left after foreign teams’ refusal to tour Pakistan, the country’s regional associations are geared up to strengthen their capacity at the grass-root level.

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Pakistan Task Team (PTT) recommended changes across the country’s cricketing setup, including the way the board is run, selection and managerial appointments and also called on the regional associations to be given more authority. According to the PTT report, the recommendations suggested empowering the associations in a bid to make domestic cricket more competitive.

While the bodies are run by volunteers, they receive bulk of their income from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Most of the staff, in particular the ground staff, is fully employed by the PCB and while the associations are being run in a democratic process, the level of competency leaves a bit to be desired.

Significant steps needed, says LCCA

The Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) chief Khawaja Nadeem sees the PTT’s recommendations as a significant step towards reviving the sport at the grass-root level.

“We’re ready to increase our capacity,” Nadeem told reporters. “We need to improve our attitude but this can only be done with the help of the PCB. The requirement is to invest at the grass-root level and bring about improvement.”

Nadeem acknowledged the positive step taken by the PCB when it introduced regional contracts for the players. He echoed the PTT’s finding that approximately 70% of the players who have represented Pakistan in the past year have come from corporate teams and these sides have dominated the country’s domestic cricket.

‘KCCA needs more power’

Meanwhile, the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) head Sirajul Islam Bukhari believed the body needs to be empowered for the betterment of cricket instead of having their rights snubbed.

“Building capacity is feasible but it needs the PCB’s backing,” Bukhari told The Express Tribune. “The associations are there to assist but in return they need to have the support to work fluently as we are directly involved with the grass-root level.”

While the PTT report suggests empowering the regional associations, the PCB, from this season onwards, has also taken away their selection rights and held them from appointing their managers as well.

“There was a time when we hosted international matches at our venues which helped us to earn,” said Bukhari. “But this option has also suffered a setback. We need funds to continue the developmental process. I am not downplaying the role of the PCB but they should support us.”



Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2011.