Fitness problems of our athletes are growing by the day. In cricket, this problem is much more pronounced and is affecting performance of the Pakistan team. To contain this problem at grassroots, for the first time the Lahore Regional Cricket Association (LRCA) conducted three-day fitness trials last week of 155 candidates, who were selected in the first phase to form six teams, two each of all three zones of the association to play in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Inter-District Senior Championship from July 28.

In the past, the LRCA has been selecting teams based only on their performance through ball-bat trials. But this time, it decided to also hold fitness tests. Now 120 players are to be announced for the six teams with 20 members each. Although the fitness report was yet to be finalised, it has been heard that many candidates were not fit and could not match the criteria.

However, it is a good practice if the LRCA continues giving priority to fitness of players.

Meanwhile, although the LRCA was delighted that the provincial government allocated Rs30 million to install floodlights in the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) ground adjacent to Qadhafi Stadium, so far there was no development on the project.

Last year, the provincial government sanctioned Rs5 million for this project and the PC-1 was also completed. This year, hopefully, the floodlights will be installed and it will be the first ground under the LRCA to have this facility.

The LCCA ground also needs facilities for cricket fans and players. Recently, the PCB Strategic Committee for Planning emphasised the need for making all stadia and grounds spectator-friendly. Hopefully, the decade-old ground, which has hosted many international teams for side matches, will be provided a hostel, quality toilets, stands for fans and a cafeteria.

Last week, the PCB quietly changed a selector from Lahore, Ali Naqvi, from the national junior selection committee to induct another little-known Test bowler Aamir Nazir, also from the Punjab capital.

There are reports that PCB Chairman Shaharyar M Khan got upset with Naqvi when he was chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony of inter-school championship final at the Bagh-i-Jinnah two months back.

A local sports journalist in his question to the PCB chairman said no member of the national junior selection committee except Naqvi had come to watch the pool matches of inter-school championships. Chief selector Basit Ali, who was present with the PCB chairman in that media talk, got angry. It seems Ali succeeded in convincing the chairman that Naqvi had planted that question.

In the PCB, any news supposedly leaked to the media is a serious ‘crime’ and thorough inquiry is conducted to determine who is responsible for the leak. In the past, on many occasions employees have been removed on the charges of leaking information to the media.

Even though the standard of Pakistan’s women’s hockey is really low, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has decided to hold 29th National Women Championships in Islamabad next week.

The Punjab Hockey Association (PHA) has also decided to field its two teams in the event. The PHA will hold trials to select the teams at the National Hockey Stadium next week. The PHA secretary and former national women’s captain, Mrs Rahet Khan, announced the trials.

She vowed that strong teams will be selected purely on merit to compete in the national event. She said a selection committee would also be announced soon to conduct the trials. Sindh will also send its two teams while Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad will field one team each. Three departmental teams from Wapda, army, and railways will also contest in the championship.

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) held a meeting in Lahore last week which was participated in by secretaries of all 40 national sports federations. The meeting, which had to discuss matters relating to promotion of the declining standard of sports in the country, also paid tribute to Abdul Sattar Edhi, the greatest humanitarian, who had served humanity throughout his life. He died in Karachi after illness.

The country, undoubtedly, needs another Mr Edhi, who can serve Pakistan sports, which has nothing positive to write about. But unfortunately, neither any provincial government nor the federal is taking this decline in sports serious as no plan has been announced to put sports back on track.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2016

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