The PCB has regularly organised limited overs cricket in white balls and coloured clothing over the last decade or so and, in almost every edition, the players have worn nameless shirts. PHOTO COURTESY: PCB
KARACHI: Perhaps the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken the famous William Shakespeare line “what’s in a name” way too seriously. For the umpteenth time, a ‘hurried’ PCB has ignored the global tradition of placing the names on the shirts of the players taking the field in the ongoing Haier National T20 Cup at the Rawalpindi Stadium in Rawalpindi.
Eight teams are involved in the qualifying rounds, while twelve — including two qualifiers — will play the main round of the event, which starts from September 8.
The PCB has introduced many new sponsors in the tournament and the logos of the various companies and corporations supporting the event adorn the kits of the players. Almost every possible spot for placement on the jerseys and flannels is covered by a logo, which means that there is no space available for the names of the players wearing the kits.
The PCB has regularly organised limited-overs cricket in white balls and coloured clothing over the last decade or so and, in almost every edition, the players have worn nameless shirts.
Conversely, all major domestic leagues and tournaments around the world have the names of the players written in bold letters on the back of their shirts. The practice is considered essential for improving the broadcast quality and identifying the players for the viewers watching on TV.
‘Names to be placed for one-day tournament’
When reminded of the infuriating practice, a top PCB official vowed to “ensure that the names of the players appear on their kits” for the domestic one-day tournament scheduled later in the year.
The official added that since there were a large number of players, the task of placing the names was an arduous one, especially in the short time frame in which the preparations were made.
However, the domestic cricket department, currently headed by the veteran Intikhab Alam, has overseen the organisation of at least two dozen such events in recent years. Yet it seems that in every edition, ‘time constraints’ or a ‘hurried’ PCB have been forced to overlook the basics.
It remains to be seen if the intrusion of a top official is actually going to help buck the trend in the events ahead.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2015.
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