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CONTROVERSIES are not new to Pakistan cricket and the past 68 years have witnessed as much action off-field as on-field. The latest storm to hit the game is the abolishment of departmental cricket. The Pakistan Cricket Board, under its 2019 constitution, has revamped the domestic cricket structure which favours regional and provincial teams over departmental ones.
The deafening noise over the PCB’s abrupt decision prompted head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, Test skipper Azhar Ali and senior player Mohammad Hafeez to call on Prime Minster Imran Khan on Wednesday, to request him to review the decision which has rendered hundreds of cricketers jobless. However, the meeting proved fruitless, with Mr Khan telling his visitors to focus on their job and not interfere in policy matters. The meeting that took place without the PCB’s knowledge has left cricket’s top brass fuming.
In hindsight, the trio had approached Mr Khan with good intentions. However, it was a hasty move and one that violated the PCB’s disciplinary rules, earning them the authorities’ ire. Had they done their homework properly and consulted PCB chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan prior to visiting Mr Khan, Misbah, Hafeez and Azhar would have had a good idea of what to expect.
It is no secret that the decision to abolish the departments was the brainchild of the prime minister himself. He has supported the regional format since his playing days. Being the patron of the board, Mr Khan has ensured its implementation through the PCB. It remains to be seen whether or not the new domestic set-up works for Pakistan cricket.
Nevertheless, a quick glance at sports in the country, including cricket, hockey, squash, athletics etc, is enough to show how pivotal departments have been in producing a majority of the country’s legendary stars such as Hanif Mohammad, Fazal Mahmood, Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aisam-ul-Haq and indeed Mr Khan himself. In a nutshell, abolishing a tried and trusted system may not prove to be such a wise step.
Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2020
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Comments (41) Closed
Sep 18, 2020 08:07am
This tried and tested system was the reason for Pakistan's current 8 rank in both Tests and Odis & minnows level performance for the last 2 Decades.
What was Departmental Cricket doing, providing contract jobs with low wages and with selection based on Likes & Dislikes.
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Sep 18, 2020 08:18am
It’s the quality not the quantity
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Sep 18, 2020 08:44am
Why no Sindhi or a Balochi cricketer is seen in a national team. Remember, job quota of Punjab has always dominated the federal posts.
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Sep 18, 2020 08:49am
Dept cricket was a disaster. England, Australia, NZ and SA all have regional cricket format which has led to success. These three only want to get free jobs and money for their cricketer friends. Misbah should be sacked as chief selector
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Sep 18, 2020 09:57am
nothing is forever, the regional structure is operational in all the cricket playing countries ,Only in our case sponsor departments/have their own contesting teams. Let's hope its supports best of the talent.
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Sep 18, 2020 10:01am
Such a biased article. On one hand the writer concludes that the effect of regional cricket is yet to be seen and on the other hand the writers gives the impression that the new system has failed already. All the stars produced by departmental cricket was not because of departmental cricket, its because these guys were talented and they would have survived anywhere and since the departmental cricket structure was prevalent in those days that is why they are the product of that system.
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Sep 18, 2020 10:10am
Not a very convincing argument
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Sep 18, 2020 10:18am
Pakistan cricket marred by widespread Corruption.
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Sep 18, 2020 10:23am
Good decision to End this poor system , mostly loss making departments PIA, Steel Mill, Railways etc, loved to play games !!
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Sep 18, 2020 10:27am
before making a decision one has to think it through its consequences. Abolishing the departmental cricket has cost unemployment of 100 of fcricketers . there should have been some program to employ these cricketers at different levels. Regional cricket is good and it produces much better cricketer however the basis of regional cricket were the strong college and school cricket. Many schools employed cricketers as sports teacher.Sind mdressa had Master Aziz and it prduced Hanif,Mushtaq and Munaf
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Sep 18, 2020 10:38am
Another day, another anti Imran editorial. This paper has become a laughable caricature of itself thanks to the partisan bias of its editors.
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Sep 18, 2020 12:10pm
There is no departmental sport anywhere in the world but only Pakistan. Have you seen European banks playing Pakistani banks, or railways playing against railway teams from another country. The departmental sport only exists in Pakistan due to corruption and self promotion, nothing else. I am surprised Misbah ul Haque and others not supporting, they played county cricket and should know the benefits of it.
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Sep 18, 2020 12:12pm
Tried and tested system which has failed in all aspects, absolutely silly idea, get rid off it.
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Sep 18, 2020 12:23pm
I don't want to be in a domestic cricketers shoes these days. While IK, may not have experience in running other departments of the country however he can at-least claim that he has great knowledge of how a domestic cricket set up should be. This is a painful process and due care should be taken of the cricketers who have lost their live-hoods because of how hastily this decision was implemented by the PCB. In the long run, the new system will start producing champions as claimed by IK
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Sep 18, 2020 12:27pm
Issue is not with a regional system but it’s implementation. A PM’s job is to provide a vision which he has. PCB management needed to implement the vision properly. Problem is that there is no proper transition plan to support the cricketers and other support staff to find employment. PCB management should have thought about it.. Any major transformation needs a transition plan to be successful.
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Sep 18, 2020 12:32pm
Very well said! Imported clueless PCB leadership has ruined local cricket!
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Sep 18, 2020 12:50pm
Since inception of Pakistan departmental cricket ia there and what good they have produced?now dont count 1992 world cup as it and anyother acheivement was because of natural talented Pakistanis and no role of departments.so please give this new system a chance and hope for the best.
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Sep 18, 2020 01:38pm
The Messiah, Dictator, King has spoken. I don't think in Pakistan the matter is open for discussions any more. Unless of course the debater wants to be NABbed? Or these days the government's "vanishing act" is also a good trick in the book.
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Sep 18, 2020 01:41pm
It is a proven fact that a country's performance in sports is directly related to its economic progress. As Pakistan gets poorer by the day its sports performances on international arena would also get poorer.
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Sep 18, 2020 02:49pm
Strategic decisions require huge amount of data from past & current, to arrive at an agreement. Pakistan is full of resources, with both talent & contemporary expertise. The old domestic system was producing world class players. But, over the last couple of decades, it is not. The ICC rankings of teams and players will assert. There is THE NEED to make a change. So, is the proposed system going to work? Or should there be few basic changes in the existing system to make it work? Time will tell!
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Sep 18, 2020 03:22pm
The team's performance for the past 10 to 15 years has been abysmal. What more evidence is needed for a systematic change?
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Sep 18, 2020 03:32pm
Please stop touting for a rotten system. Occupying positions through 'who you know' is what you are favouring by writing such a rubbish editorial.
The system PM Imran Khan is bringing is based on merit, competition and transparency; it is for the benefit of whole nation not just for members of a few families employed by Banks/Corporations. Let deserving talented people come forward instead of chosen few.
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Sep 18, 2020 03:41pm
This editorial was a wastage of space. There’s certainly some logic to regional formats’ success across cricketing world which the editorial didn’t bother to portray
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Sep 18, 2020 04:03pm
One can understand about provincial teams, but what does one mean by its departmental counterpart? Banks, big govt sectors and private orgs sponsoring their own teams? I do remember some bank having a first-class team in Pakistan in the bygone days.
While imran as a politician does not come up as a very bright fellow, his cricketing knowledge cannot be contradicted very easily. The provincial concept sounds much better than some big shots having their own teams in a country of 200(+)mil people.
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Sep 18, 2020 04:05pm
How are the cricketers going to reach the regional level ?
Who is going to invest in sports career if the only place they can earn is if they are selected for the National Team.
Departmental teams act as a feeder and career progression.
Unless alternatives have already been devised to compensate , the whole idea seems far fetched.
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Sep 18, 2020 04:34pm
PCB isn't a charitable organisation. Therefore it's focus should not be on creating jobs but creating quality competitive cricketers.
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Sep 18, 2020 05:49pm
Lame excuses! From the last half a century pakistan has produced mediocre cricketers thanks to the department cricket. The whole system was riddled with mediocrity and corruption. Every Four years pakistan team disappoints us in form of failure.
Imran khans decision needs to be appreciated, we know in the short term there will be some pain but new setup will give a new life to the pakistan cricket
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Sep 18, 2020 06:22pm
After destroying every other department now it is cricket!
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Sep 18, 2020 06:29pm
The same system produced good quality cricketers. The bigger question is who will bear the cost of new structure. Players need facilities and equipment that is costly and need constant up keep.
As usual the new structure has been poorly implemented. I can predict death of cricket in Pakistan like Hockey and Squash.
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Sep 18, 2020 07:19pm
No supporter of IK but you guys really need to chill a little. It's not even been a year since this new system was established. It makes the most economic sense. I disagree with 6 teams, there should have been more, but even if we accept that, it WILL take time. Any new company takes time to establish and this IS a business now. I just wish Pakistanis would become just a little more patient and debate the merits or demerits of the system with logic and data.
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Sep 18, 2020 07:20pm
I wish the PM and the Board had first strengthened our university level cricket. the inter-collegiate championships in the past used to be very competitive. One sponsor tried to revive inter-university cricket, hockey and soccer in the mid-1990s too. Several universities participated, including the then newly established Sir Agha Khan University. However, it is still not late and the inter-university championships can be organized by placing participating schools into different grades.
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Sep 18, 2020 07:30pm
Sir your statement indicates that you know about cricket then how do you explain the ranking of pakistan in test sand ODI.
England and Australia follow the county method and they do well.
So lets try their method.
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Sep 18, 2020 07:44pm
Criticism for the sake of criticism, If Mr. Khan had continued with the same departmental system we would have reading inverse of what we are reading right now.
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Sep 18, 2020 08:41pm
@Aqib Abbas, Pakistan was doing better than England and New Zealand for many years. Department is not reason but no domestic matches made ranking low. Every team scores point on there home ground
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Sep 18, 2020 08:56pm
Khan should stick to his guns. Departments have turned cricket into a charity organisation.
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Sep 18, 2020 09:31pm
At this time, it is choice between getting jobs for these 400 some cricketers or getting a regional cricketing growth. Fans of cricket will prefer the later.
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Sep 18, 2020 09:55pm
@Irfan ul Huq, cricket is a sport and should remain the same.
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Sep 19, 2020 01:49am
Seriously? Such statements should be based on logical arguments, comparing and contrasting two systems. Your entire argument is just naming a few players who played during the departmental cricket?
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Sep 19, 2020 02:12am
The sharp decline in our rankings over the past two decades pretty much sums up the quality of our domestic game. It needed to be reformed by bringing in a system which is more competitive and produces players who have the skills to play international cricket. PCB's primary responsibility is to improve the quality of cricket in the country, not creating jobs. Unfortunately our govt depts are being used to create jobs which has led to their decline and losses to the exchequer.
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Sep 19, 2020 03:10am
Pakistan was the only country which had a department cricket setup. It did good In the past but players coming out of school system and zonal setup is the best way for society as kids stay in school even if they want to pursue a career in sports. Changing the cricket set up is just the beginning of Naya Pakistan. InshAllah it will bear fruit in the future.
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Sep 19, 2020 05:26am
Pakistan should invite Chinese to provide loans to poor Pakistani cricketers who have become jobless due to abolishing departmental cricket.
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