The end is nigh for departmental cricket in Pakistan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will submit its proposal for changes in domestic cricket, which will limit the role of departmental teams in the country, during the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting on April 17 in Quetta.

According to Daily Express, six regional teams will be part of the new domestic setup, two from Punjab and one each from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan/ Azad Kashmir and Balochistan, which could mean that many departments will release players from their roster, due to lack of their role in the new system.

This development also had a major say in Habib Bank Limited (HBL)’s decision to disband its cricket team. Although, right now, state departments are not entirely closing down their teams but it’s likely that such a thing will happen in the near future.

In the new setup players will be at a disadvantage because they will have to rely on lower compensation and match fees, as compared to proper salaries from departments.

Sources also stated that Karachi Region is likely to protest over this decision because only one team, from a large province such as Sindh, will restrict opportunities for young talent.

If the BoG reach consensus on these proposed domestic system changes, they will be sent for approval to Prime Minister and PCB Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan for final approval.   

The board will also present a summary regarding the ‘Power of Authority’ of Managing Director Wasim Khan. If approved, Khan will be given authority of signing cheques related to employees and players’ contracts, legal documents of court cases, assessing performance of employees and much more.

Bearing in mind the transfer of power due to the aforementioned changes, there are chances of some heated exchanges between BoG members and PCB officials on these issues.