da brdice： About the only thing that brings about more discussion and hand-wringing thaninternational cricket in Pakistan is the state of the domestic cricket, writes Osman Samiuddin
Osman Samiuddin20-Jan-2004About the only thing that brings about more discussion and hand-wringing thaninternational cricket in Pakistan is the state of the domestic cricket.Such is the frequency of introspection, especially among ex-cricketers,administrators and journalists, that Abid Ali Kazi – a leading authority on thelocal game – reckons that since the inception of first-class cricket in Pakistanin 1947-48, no two seasons have ever followed the same format.With that in mind, and the fact that the domestic structure has had three majoroverhauls in the last four seasons, the Pakistan Cricket Board held seminarsrecently in Karachi and Lahore … and again it was the domestic game that wasunder the hammer. The seminar – attended by a kaleidoscope of localadministrators, past and present cricketers, journalists, and school anduniversity staff – was ostensibly held to gauge opinions on the current domesticformat. In reality, it was an exercise to test the water about yet anotherstructural change – one that goes right to the heart of the local set-up.Commercial sides, such as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Habib Bank,have been an integral part of the local game since Abdul Hafeez Kardar broughtthem in, back in the 1950s. They have also been the focal point of stingingcriticism from some – Imran Khan, for example – who feel that players and crowdsalike feel no passion and place no emotional attachment to a game between anational airline and a bank. Critics also argue that such outfits don’t breedcricketers, as regional academies and teams would, but instead cherry-pick thebest players from elsewhere.Rameez Raja, the PCB’s current chief executive, basically agrees with Imran andco., although his marketing background has injected a degree of financialrealism into his deliberations.The current domestic structure, a revamp from last season, was carried out onthe advice of an independent committee which was set up to investigate thedisastrous World Cup performance. They finally heeded Imran’s long-standing callto rid the game of departmental teams, and in a move marketed as a radical shift- although actually it has happened before – decided to separate the commercialteams from regional associations. Two tournaments, the Patron’s Trophy fordepartmental teams and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for regional ones, were pencilledin, along with a qualifying round for the Patron’s Trophy. Eventually, saidRameez, the departmental teams would be phased out altogether. However, theseminar showed that this would be an unpopular and unnecessary move.In practice there seems little wrong with the current format. Ex-Test playerslike Haseeb Ahsan and Sadiq Mohammad spoke in favour of it, as didadministrators in the shape of Siraj Bokhari and Aslam Sanjani, the current andpast presidents of the Karachi City Cricket Association. Let departmental teamshave their own tournament, they said: their players receive an income and a job- the overriding raison d’etre for the idea in the first place – andeverybody is happy. Regional cricket has the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and ifsponsorship is eventually found (domestic cricket has been without one for fouryears), then the regional players will also be paid well.The seminar pointed up some other flaws too. Poor umpiring standards (aPakistani puzzle as old as the day is long) were discussed, as were thefacilities and maintenance of most grounds and pitches. Gul Hameed Bhatti, aneminent sports journalist who misses little on the local scene, pointed out howfew of the big-name players took part in domestic tournaments anyway these days.Bhatti, an avid cricket statistician, revealed that Wasim Akram played onlyaround five Quaid-e-Azam Trophy games in a career spanning 20 years. A visiblysurprised Shaharyar Khan, the new PCB chairman, wondered aloud about a systemin which the leading players would not be guaranteed selection in the nationalsquad unless they appeared in domestic cricket at some stage. But the WestIndian stance – where if you do not play domestically, you are not consideredfor the Test team – was quickly ruled out.The inability to find a sponsor has severely hampered the domestic game. Someargued that if sponsorship could be found, then TV coverage would also follow,and that this development could be crucial – presently domestic cricket is noteven considered worthy of a couple of minutes of coverage on the evening news,let alone an entire live broadcast. As Zaheer Abbas said, with crowds forinternational matches dwindling, the chances of attracting people to a localgame, whether it be Habib Bank v Pakistan Customs or Lahore v Karachi, isnegligible. Which means televising games – even if only brief highlights tostart with – is essential.Sadiq Mohammad, in a suggestion as dashing as his opening once was, called forthe company teams (who, he pointed out, aren’t short of funds) to shell out fortwo cameras – one funded by each side – at every match, thus ensuring that, atthe very least, a video archive could be kept of all domestic games. The PCB andthe regional teams (which are generally under-funded) could share the cost ofthe cameras for regional games.But it was to the private sector that we had to turn for a glimpse into whatwill probably be the way forward. Jamal Mir, the CEO of Prestige Advertising (aleading ad agency in Pakistan), argued the case for cricket to be treated notsimply as a game but as an entertainment industry, similar to the treatment ofsports in the United States. Citing the success of franchises in American sport,Mir envisioned a plan to attract businessmen to sponsor a region, and bringmerchandising into the game. Marketing the game, then, would be as important asthe mechanical or structural sides of it.How many of the suggestions so eagerly noted down by the PCB will see light ofday depends mainly on the energies of Shaharyar Khan and Rameez Raja. What theycan take from the seminar is clear: departmental teams, as much as some mayargue otherwise, clearly have a place in the domestic Pakistan game. Any move totry to phase them out would be as unpopular as Aamer Sohail – and withoutsponsorship or an alternative source of funds, financially suicidal. The currentstructure is set so stay untouched for next season, and perhaps that is what isneeded. Leave aside the changes, cosmetic or deep-rooted; bring back the starplayers; get on the telly; and market yourself.Osman Samiuddin is a freelance journalist in Karachi.