‘No word yet from PCB about domestic tournament’

KARACHI: The officials of departmental cricket teams haven’t received any directives from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) so far regarding the proposed departmental tournament in 2020-21 domestic season, sources told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

The PCB’s cricket committee in its last meeting, chaired by former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim, directed PCB to find a window for a departmental tournament.

A source in a department, requesting anonymity, informed this scribe that financial budget of the departmental cricket teams is to be approved in April or May. But no department team has received any written directives from PCB, he added.

“If they are serious regarding the departmental tournament in the domestic season for 2020-2021, they should inform us now so that we can get budget approved by our top management,” the source said.

He said the departments need at least Rs10 million for participating in any domestic event besides salaries of the players and the officials.

He said that the department officials had only heard about the proposed tournament. “We have got nothing on paper. Without having anything in black and white we can’t go to our top management to seek funds,” he added.

It has been reported that a three-day tournament would be organised for around 24 department teams. The teams would be divided in four groups. Each side would play at least five matches before the knockout stage.

It pertinent to mention here that department teams did not participate in the revamped domestic structure in 2019-20. Iqbal Qasim in the meeting in February asked Haroon Rasheed, PCB’s director domestic cricket, to find a window for a tournament of department sides in 2020-21 season.