KARACHI: While welcoming the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decision to set up a review committee on domestic cricket, Abdul Raqeeb said on Saturday that the role of departments, including banks and other organisations in promotion of sports cannot be undermined because of their immense contribution.

Raqeeb, the former chief of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL)’s sports department, emphasised the need for developing clear consensus among all the stakeholders before arriving at a final decision.

“I’m glad that sanity has prevailed in the PCB with the formation of a committee to have another look at the repercussions arising out of the plans that are being prepared for domestic cricket. With one stroke of a pen you cannot neglect their [departments’] vast contributions,” Raqeeb, who is now serving as a consultant in the HBL sports department, told Dawn.

“One sincerely hopes that an amicable solution is found to end this unnecessary fuss. There is no harm in trying new methods to improve the standard of domestic cricket but it would be totally out of place to completely shun the departments from Pakistan cricket mainstream. This would create chaos nothing but chaos.

“The departments have always looked after themselves and have not only provided jobs and other benefits to sportsmen and women but also made invaluable contributions in other fields as well by providing sponsorships from time to time,” he underlined.

Raqeeb, a former first-class cricketer who later served as national selector and was the HBL’s representative on the PCB governing board, lamented the authorities had not bothered to take the departments on board while planning the changes.

“It was not after a lot had been written and said [in the media] that the board constituted a [review] committee to evaluate the pros and cons of the revamp the PCB aims to bring about in order to ‘regionalise’ the game. This is an unethical practice in my view because it was not discussed with the representatives of the departments beforehand. How can you thrust upon something just like that?” he questioned.

Raqeeb, who toured India with the Asif Iqbal-led Pakistan squad in 1979-80, such radical changes would only lead to more problems if the PCB attempts to revolutionise cricket at the domestic level while leaving the departments/banks.

“[Former Pakistan captain] Abdul Hafeez Kardar was a man of vision when [in his capacity as president of Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan, as the PCB was known then] he decided that departments also should be the stakeholders in Pakistan cricket. He must have sensed something was required to improve the standard of domestic cricket,” he observed.

“Otherwise we wouldn’t have heard of departments/banks coming forward and playing their role not only in cricket but in other sports such as hockey, badminton, basketball, table tennis and football too. “It is pertinent to mention here that the teams of departments and banks contained players from far-flung areas of the country playing together.

“This created a sense of national harmony something which you can only expect in different Pakistan teams. Thus, the departments have undoubtedly played a big part in bridging the gap between players coming from main cities and small towns,” he said.

“Just take a look how other sports have suffered in the name of ‘regionalisation’. The federations running these games have been engaged in infighting among themselves while neglecting their main priority — to uplift the standard. In fact, they are mere tools in the hands of forces with vested interests which have been playing dirty politics.

“Where has our young talent in table tennis disappeared? The current national champions are both quite old [men’s champion Asim Qureshi is in his late 40s and the ladies champion Shabnam Bilal is close to 40] and both are from departments. Asim plays for Wapda and Shabnam is on HBL’s payroll!” Raqeeb lamented a person like Haroon Rashid, who is the PCB’s game development director, is attempting to destabilise cricket at the departments’ level.

“Haroon should not overlook the fact he played for Pakistan on the basis of his strong performances for the departments he played for [National Bank and United Bank]. He just can’t ignore this fact. Can he?”