LAHORE: The newly-devised system of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which is based on provincial lines rather than the regional ones, binding one department as sponsor of each province, could not be implemented to date despite passing of the new constitution of the PCB on August 19, 2019.

The new system has caused suspension of jobs of several cricketers who have been playing for different departments in domestic cricket for the last many years. These departments are no more allowed to field teams in domestic cricket.

Moreover, 243 curators and ground staff working with 16 regional cricket associations which are now defunct under the new constitution, are facing uncertain future. Among them many have left the jobs due to this uncertainty despite the fact the PCB has offered them four months contract in two phases, ending on Dec 19, 2019. After that date they will have no association with the PCB whatsoever.

According to the constitution, six provincial level teams, one each of Sindh, KP, Balochistan and two of Punjab - Central and Southern - and one Northern are to participate in all the domestic cricket tournaments from Under-13 to first-class level.

Earlier, in the previous set up, around 32 departmental teams were playing in both first and second tiers of domestic cricket, besides 16 regional teams, which offered many opportunities to thousands of players to feature in the domestic cricket. But now the number of the players has been reduced to just just 192 for each national level tournament.

The PCB could not announce even interim set-up of the provincial cricket associations as it is holding all the national level tournaments at its own, selecting the six provincial teams through trials instead of holding inter-city cricket competitions.

When contacted, PCB’s Director Domestic Haroon Rashid said the negotiations with the departments to sponsor the provinces was underway. He said the PCB had already received a positive response from one of the departments while other departments were analysing the new system and they would respond soon.

Haroon denied the news that the departments were not showing any interest in sponsoring the provincial system. He was of the view that as new systems were also being introduced in many departments, with whom the PCB was in contact to perform as sponsor, they were taking time to confirm their consent in that regard.

Asked as to why the PCB had also banned club cricket until the formation of the new provincial cricket associations and the city level bodies, a move that has resulted in halting all the activities at the grassroots level, Haroon said the PCB had also issued the instructions that if anyone had the plan to hold club level cricket he could seek permission from the PCB to hold the tournament at the grassroots level.

He said that as per the new PCB constitution, the entire provincial and city cricket associations would be registered with the national registration department under the company act, that has also caused delay in implementation of the new provincial system.

It may be mentioned here that under the company registration system, all the affairs of the provincial and city cricket associations would be dealt by the registration departments and the PCB would have no link with them.

And as getting the registration is a lengthy process, it could be a big hurdle in the way to implement the new constitution.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2019