Cricket: Domestic revamp awaiting approval

PCB chief’s nod pending for five months.

KARACHI:

Busy with attempts to revive international cricket and resuming bilateral ties with India, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has so far been unable to find time to approve the recommendations put forward five months ago by a former cricketers’ task force for the betterment of domestic cricket.

The task team, headed by PCB Director Intikhab Alam, included Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas and Sarfraz Nawaz among others and was asked to pen ideas in order to improve the state of Pakistan’s domestic cricket. One of the most important recommendations was to stage the country’s premier first-class competition Quaid-i-Azam Trophy composed of two groups — departments going head to head in one group, while regions competing against each other in the other.

It was also suggested to increase the number of departments. While the regions have been increased from 11 to 15 with the formation of Larkana, Bahawalpur, Fata and Dera Murad Jamali, the departments’ case is still pending as the Patron’s Trophy Grade-II promotions depend on the PCB chairman’s approval. Amid the uncertainty, officials are still confused as to what will be the format in the upcoming domestic season.

“There are a lot of complexities for us to deal with,” a PCB official told The Express Tribune. “We are left standing nowhere as PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf hasn’t rejected or approved the recommendation. It isn’t easy and won’t be easy by any means to prepare the format, schedule, match fees and several other things at the eleventh hour.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2012.