Pakistan Cricket in danger: PCB summons former cricketers for important suggestions

This time around, the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken a great initiative to get domestic cricket up and running with the bold step. Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has summoned a panel comprising legendary former cricketers. Unprecedented as it may be, Naqvi looks forward to seeking advice from former cricketers to make domestic cricket alluring and narrow down the huge gap between local and international levels.

Which former cricketers are summoned by PCB?

The long list of those summoned for the discussion includes big names in Pakistani cricket history: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Moin Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Waqar Younis. This is the first time that Naqvi is seeking input from former cricketers over the betterment of domestic cricket.

A major part of Naqvi’s strategy lies in separate First Class, One Day, and T20 tournaments under the banner of the Champions Cup. Each event will have five teams, comprising a total of 150 top cricketers divided into squads of 30. Finally, this highly competitive environment will be created to match international standards through this initiative.

Towards this aim, the PCB is working out a new policy for domestic contracts. Contracts would be given to the players of all formats featuring in the Champions Cup, with about 150 players being covered under the much-needed professional system. For the first time, there won’t be any separate ODI tournament involving regional teams other than the Champions Cup.

While involving high-profile cricketers, the PCB would also attract sponsors for the new teams to make them financially strong and more visible. Naqvi reiterated his resolve to engage only cricketers who have the welfare of cricket at heart and has ruled out those already working with different media channels.

This is part of a greater initiative aimed at improving the quality and competitiveness of domestic cricket, which falls in line with PCB’s commitments to further game development at grassroots and domestic levels. The valuable suggestions from the discussion shall be considered for implementation to ensure a more professional and appealing domestic cricket structure.