Already overstaffed: CDA planning inducting new recruits for cricket team

The cricket team has 21-man limit, but currently has a strength of 23

ISLAMABAD:

Favouritism and misplaced priorities of city managers have adversely impacted the performance of five Capital Development Authority (CDA) sports teams.

While assembling a playing squad for some sports — football and hockey — has been seemingly impossible for the civic agency, the already-overstaffed cricket team can is about to add nine fresh recruits.

The football and hockey teams have been incomplete for years, with the hockey team having a grand total of one player, and the football team just eight. Each team has an approved limit of 21 players and staff.

The cricket team also has 21-man limit, but currently has 23 players and other training staff.

Despite the reservations of a senior CDA sports wing official, some influential parties have managed to get the necessary approval to hire the new players. The case is now pending approval from the CDA chairman.

“All nine players were selected without any trial,” said a sports wing officer. They will be hired on a daily wage basis against different grades, the official added.

According to officers of the sports wing, a majority of the nine players were associated with a well-known private cricket club in Islamabad, which is owned by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) governing body member Shakeel Sheikh, who is also a journalist. Sources said he played a key role in getting the initial approvals on the file. Not only that, the list also includes name of Shakeel’s son Moeed Sheikh.

Talking to The Express Tribune, CDA Sports Director General Asif Shahjahan confirmed that the file has been forwarded to the CDA chairman. Shahjahan dispelled the impression that the players have been selected on favouritism. He, however, failed to give a satisfactory answer about the criteria adopted by the CDA before selecting them.

When reminded that the cricket team was already overstaffed, Shahjahan claimed that he has categorically mentioned on the file that new recruitment should only be made after fulfilling all necessary formalities.

Those formalities say that the CDA can only hire the services of individual, even daily wagers, against sanctioned, vacant posts, which do not exist in the overstaffed cricket team.

CDA sources said Shahjahan had initially objected to the new hiring, terming it unnecessary, but later conceded after facing pressure from different quarters, including the CDA labour union. When asked about this, Shahjahan said he only wanted recruitment to be done in an ‘above-board’ manner.

The CDA has five sports teams — cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, and golf — and of the teams, only volleyball and golf have complete rosters, while hockey and football teams are incomplete and cricket is overstaffed.

“Out of the five, only the cricket team has performed well in the recent past as most of the players are young and passionate. The induction of players on favouritism will not only create rift among players, but also impact its performance,” said a senior CDA official.

The CDA cricket team was runner-up in the 2014 Patrons Trophy Grade-II.

The officer said that of the 23-member cricket squad, five players were currently attached with other CDA departments. He said that even without them, the team was complete and performing well.

“If it is necessary to urgently recruit new players, it should still be done after holding open trials for interested players,” the officer said.

When asked to comment on the issue, PCB governing body member Sheikh told The Express Tribune, “I have nothing to do with the issue. No comment.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2015.