LAHORE: Winning margins of over 400 runs. Physical altercations between players and umpires. The Winter Club Tournament being held by the Central Punjab region, which comes under the Pakistan Cricket Board, is making a mockery of the game.

On Friday, Khizra Club won by 432 runs against Gulberg Town Club here at the Univeristy of Punjab’s Old Campus ground, dismissing their opponents for eight after having piled up 440 in the 40-over game.

Their victory margin was still less than the one witnessed earlier in the tournament when MP Gympkhana scored 528 before bundling out Bright Stars Club for 50 to win by 478 runs.

In another match of the tournament in Burewala, footage aired on social media shows a captain and an umpire beating each other.

There have been matches where teams couldn’t even line-up 11 players while there are also reports that PCB-affiliated umpires are not supervising most of the matches.

The PCB, though, isn’t taking any action and it’s damaging for the development of the game at grassroots level.

The PCB had started fresh registration for clubs in March yet it is going at a snail’s pace, having suspended the affiliation of almost 3200 clubs across the country after implementing its new constitution in August 2019.

And yet, it allowed Central Punjab to start the Winter Club tournament with clubs who aren’t even fully-registered with the PCB.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2021