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| September 21, 2005 | Wednesday | Sha’aban 16, 1426 |
Senior PCB posts not abolished in draft constitution
HYDERABAD, Sept 20: Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shaharyar M Khan said on Tuesday that the posts of chief executive and treasurer had not been abolished in the draft constitution and their appointment would be made by the board not the president.
PCB would work like a corporate body to ensure transparency and not like a government institution, he added.
Speaking at a meet-the-press programme at the local press club he said that the rights of cricket associations had been protected and all the provinces would be given representation in the board.
He avoided making direct comments on publication of draft constitution but observed that “these posts have not been abolished as PCB would have the right to appoint them,” and added that PCB did not work through government taxes but generated its own funds for the promotion of cricket.
Underscoring the need for competitive spirit, he said that grass root level cricket needed to be organized more than the construction of stadiums and said it was the board’s policy not to construct stadiums but organize sports grounds.
He stated that first class cricket was being organized in a better manner now than before.
About new format of first-class cricket, he said it had been bifurcated between gold and silver division teams to create a sense of competition as both sides would not like to be relegated and players would work hard to qualify for better cricket.
He said that in the old format only a few teams remained in the contest while the others played routine cricket losing interest which led to match-fixing.
He said that PCB was striving hard to encourage sponsors for domestic cricket so that incentives could be achieved for cricketers. He hoped that out of 13 first class teams, half a dozen would get sponsorships and the remaining would follow suit.
Shaharyar promised to consider request for creating one more region for Hyderabad “but not at the cost of decline in standard of cricket. I am ready to bifurcate present Hyderabad region into northern and lower Sindh regions but the standard of game should not decline as it will harm cricket”.
The PCB chairman said the promotion of grass root level cricket was his top priority but deplored pathetic conditions of grounds, and said that the cost of maintenance of grounds was a big problem. He said that PCB could not pump money for pitches and grounds and most of the cities lacked sports grounds and proper infrastructure.
He further said that mostly grounds were property of local administration or provincial government and both of them failed to maintain grounds. He said that PCB wanted to bring cricket to smaller cities instead of bigger ones.
He said that one of his friends dealing in hotel business promised to construct hotel in Hyderabad in nine months provided a suitable plot was provided and that unavailability of a five-star hotel prevented holding of ODIs and Test matches at Niaz Stadium.
About relatively small allocation for Hyderabad region, he said it was done to attract sponsors and PCB would then raise it. He asserted that it was only in Sindh and Balochistan where PCB provided staff for maintenance of regional grounds. He said that soon a cricket academy would start working in Hyderabad and coaching centres would also be established.
He said that before the approval of new constitution, election of remaining cricket associations would also be held.
He said that he would try to organize below international level cricket in Hyderabad till a hotel was constructed there.
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