As expected, on Saturday the interim Management Committee of the PCB decided to restore all regional and district cricket associations and departments/service organisations in line with the PCB Constitution 2014. This is something that was mentioned as a possibility as soon as the change of guard was announced at the PCB. Many are of the opinion that these changes could be beneficial for the overall structure of the game in the country if implemented properly and will also result in the restoration of around 200 groundsmen, curators and several other related members of the country’s cricketing workforce.
All of these associations and departments had previously been declared defunct with the implementation of PCB’s new constitution on Aug 19, 2019, by Ehsan Mani-led Board and the decision was retained by his successor Ramiz Raja. However, during the past three years, the implementation of this new constitution was found to be severely lacking as a result of which the grassroots organisers found themselves in a state of limbo.
With this latest reversal, the PCB is inviting district and regional level stakeholders to come and give their suggestions for the improvement of cricket at the grassroots level and to formulate a strategic plan to include local associations and departments formally into the domestic structure. This is an encouraging development considering how this has been a longstanding issue. It must be remembered that our cricket has flourished at the international level despite the poor grassroots structure, so this is a solution to address a lot of our structural issues.
There are some other changes on the way as well with the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) being scrapped, which was introduced by former chairman Ramiz Raja in October last year. However, a junior contest will be introduced to replace this, so the change should be cosmetic. The good thing is that the new management has chosen to retain the Pakistan Women’s League, one of the most positive and much needed initiatives introduced under the previous regime. There are good ideas at play here, but the management will have to walk the talk for any long-term dividends to be reaped. Also, maturity and proper procedures when it comes to introducing changes, be it on the field or behind the scenes, is something that is needed not just to generate goodwill at home, but also to project a professional image internationally.