LAHORE: After giving the charge of the adviser to chairman on cricket affairs to Waqar Younis late last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a strange move has now given an advertisement for the said post seeking applications from interested candidates till Aug 19.

Whereas the right procedure for hiring requires an advertisement for the post in national newspapers after which interviews of the interested candidates start for the PCB to select the most suitable applicant.

The bizarre way the Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB regime has adopted in the hiring process of Waqar — who will be holding a cluster of major national and international cricket-related responsibilities — raises several questions regarding the Board’s management of affairs.

It may be mentioned here that the PCB followed the same pattern of hiring when it appointed former South African Test cricketer Gary Kirsten (white-ball coach) and ex-Australian Test paceman Jason Gillespie (red-ball coach) as coaches for Pakistan’s national team recently.

Meanwhile, according to the criteria set for the post of the adviser to chairman on cricket affairs, the PCB does not require any academic qualification as there is no such clause included in it. Only extensive experience as a professional cricketer or coach is required for the position.

Interestingly, the PCB, in contrast to Waqar, does not need this experience of professional cricketer or coach for the post of director domestic cricket.

Khurram Niazi, a bureaucrat who has no expertise in the field of cricket, is the director domestic cricket. This strange scenario also reflects PCB’s vision of underestimating domestic game which is the breeding ground for talented cricketers to rise and serve the country in international arena.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2024