LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) task force on domestic cricket in its meeting next week is most likely to propose formation of a seven-member board, each for one regional cricket association, under the new domestic structure featuring only regional teams and not departments.

It has been proposed that every department should only sponsor a region instead of fielding their own teams.

The proposal is likely to be presented before the heads of 16 regional associations at a meeting to be held at the Wapda House here on Tuesday. Chairman of the PCB task force retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain, who is also Wapda chairman, will preside over the meeting.

On Wednesday, a separate meeting of the task force with representatives of 20 different departments will also be held at the same venue. Interestingly, the meeting is convened by a Wapda official’s signature, not by the chairman of the task force.

According to the proposal, Dawn has learnt, the seven-member board will have two members each from the region and department, and three from the PCB. The proposal may make the regions as well as departments uncomfortable because they will not have much say and the PCB will hold the sway.

Both the meetings have been called to take feedback on the proposal, besides to take more proposals from the two stakeholders — departments and regional associations.

One of the regional heads on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that such proposal will not serve the real purpose of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been emphatically backing regional cricket.

However, if such a proposal is eventually accepted, the role of departments and the PCB in domestic cricket will remain strong while regional bodies will be under their pressure, he added.

“Actually we are expecting a new system similar to that of counties run by the England and Wales Cricket Board because newly-appointed PCB managing director Wasim Khan has worked in that county system before joining Pakistan cricket,” another regional head told Dawn.

A departmental representative also expressed his reservation over the proposal, saying unless departments get full control over matters of the region like appointment of coaches and selectors, they will not get benefit from the arrangement.

“If we are [required] to spend money then control over key matters, including naming selectors and coaches, should be given to us,” added the representative.

Moreover, some regional heads also expressed their doubts over the venue of the meeting, saying they would prefer to attend such a meeting either at the PCB offices or the NCA and they were also also surprised that no related documents had reached them yet, which is essential before attending the meeting.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019