Heated debate over drafting system likely

KARACHI: The PCB Governing Board’s meeting on Friday (today) is likely to have a heated discussion over the drafting system proposed for forming regional teams.

It was proposed in the PCB domestic committee meeting on July 12 in Lahore. If this proposal was approved it would be another below to the domestic cricket and strangulate the fresh talent, former first class cricketers said while talking to ‘The News’.

A former cricketer said as it is the last PCB Governing Board meeting for Shaharyar Khan as chairman, he must play his due role and “stop the man whose narrow-mindedness is destroying” domestic cricket.

Another cricketer said whenever any member opposes any idea proposed by the high-ups of PCB, he is issued a show cause notice, as happened with KCCA president Professor Ijaz Farooqui.

The tenure of four regional members and two departmental members is going to end and it will be their last meeting. “They change the entire cricket system if their favourite teams are out of the competition as they did with Islamabad when eight-team National T20 championship was converted into a 10-team event to accommodate Islamabad whose standing was 10th,” he added.

Another cricketer said the PCB Governing Board members must raise questions on the performance of the domestic committee. “The domestic committee is always making a mockery of domestic cricket system. It has not only destroyed the regional cricket but also damaged various departments such as PIA, State Bank, Port Qasim Authority, which spent millions of rupees to establish and run their teams. Due to one man’s domination and his thoughtless policies, these three teams have been relegated to Grade II cricket,” he said.

The cricketer said anyone who presents a different point of view was pressurised and forced to remain silent. “The entire cricket board takes it personally and makes him an example for others,” he added.

The domestic committee could not resolve the issue of cricket balls during the last three years, he said. A source said two new members of PCB Governing Board would be from Quetta and Sialkot although these two cities are not entitled to play first class cricket.

“Many departments that are playing Grade II cricket do not have any representation in the Governing Board. Why this discrimination?” he said. “What message is being given to them?” he added. “What is the need of international cricket committee when no foreign team is visiting Pakistan?”

Sources further said that international cricket committee held only one meeting in a year and that too was held under the chairmanship of Shakeel Sheikh, although former Test cricketer Mudassar Nazar was its chairman and Nadeem Khan and Iqbal Qasim were the members.

“The PCB Governing Board should also question why Haroon Rasheed has been appointed once again despite his poor record in all positions he has previously held,” a source said.

“He has been appointed as director domestic cricket and international. Why was this post not advertised,” he said.

A group of former first class cricketers said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is the PCB patron in chief, had said that PCB’s constitution should be democratic and the board should be run in a democratic manner. But all undemocratic ways have been adopted in the PCB and it is being run in a dictatorial manner, they said.

A source that an alleged undertaking was taken from the members of Governing Board that they would not oppose any plan presented by the PCB high-ups during their three years.