LAHORE: With the start of the domestic season just around the corner, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) is yet to finalise its decisions regarding the scheduling of the matches, pointing towards faulty governance and lack of professionalism within the organisation’s functioning.

In yet another tweak of schedule on Thursday, the PCB postponed the start of the Inter-district Senior Cricket Championship, stating in a letter addressed to the district cricket associations that the delay was for an indefinite period due to the ongoing rainy season.

Dawn understands the event’s commencement will be rescheduled to Sept. 8, a week later than its original date. In another decision, the PCB preponed the beginning of the Inter-district U-19 Championship from Oct. 1 to Sept. 10.

The board had also pushed the start of the Champions One-day Cup — the 50-over format tournament of a newly-introduced top-tier “Cham­pions” system — from Sept. 1 to 12 last week, with the mentors of each side yet to be named back then.

Although the names of the mentors for the five Champions side were announced on Monday, the coaching staff and squads of each of the teams are still not finalised.

Each of the Champions side are yet to name a 30-player squad for each of the four-day, one-day and Twenty20 formats. In line with the selection process, Dawn understands, a select group of players has been called up for fitness Tests in different regions on Friday. The names of these players, the criteria of their selection, and the identities of the selectors who have picked them have not been made public.

The fitness tests here in Lahore will be held at the Punjab Stadium from 6.00am to 8.00am.

The lack of transparency regarding the revamped domestic structure, for which the PCB plans to award lucrative central contracts and match fees, is questionable as the board continues to keep important details secret.

Other than the contracts, the PCB has set heavy compensations of the newly-appointed mentors of the Champions sides in former players Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq and Sarfraz Ahmad.

Dawn understands that the mentors’ incomes range from $25,000 to Rs5 million per month

So far, only Shoaib Malik has been designated to mentor the Stallions, one of the Champions sides. Which of the mentors will take the respective charges of the other Champions teams — Panthers, Wolves, Dolphins and Lions — is yet to be decided.

The PCB failing to attract sponsors for the Champions tournaments, which it intended to make them marketable products, also points towards the failure of the board’s marketing department.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024