Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected the proposal to revive departmental cricket

By Akhtar Ali Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan has rejected the proposal to revive departmental cricket, saying that when the system changes, results do not come overnight, the real talent will come from the new domestic structure.

Former and current captains of the national cricket team met the Prime Minister in Islamabad and discussed the new structure of domestic cricket.

According to sources, former captains Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez were also present in the meeting with the Prime Minister. Apart from them, Test team captain Azhar Ali, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ehsan Mani and Chief Executive Wasim Khan were also present.

Sources said that the former cricketers demanded restoration of departments in domestic cricket and said that with the abolition of departmental cricket, local players have become unemployed.

According to sources, the Prime Minister rejected the proposal to revive departmental cricket, saying that regional cricket is the best domestic structure, assessing the difficulties arising from the demise of the old domestic system.

The Prime Minister said that if cricket is to be fixed, then regional cricket is the only solution. When the system changes, results do not come at once. Real talent will come up with the new domestic structure.

Later, addressing the signing ceremony between the PCB and Pakistan Television, the Prime Minister said that Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali had hardly been persuaded that the new system would bring about change.

The Prime Minister said that cricket talent exists in Pakistan but the system for polishing it is not good. He wished that Pakistan’s talent would be best seen in the next World Cup.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan has been against the departmental system and before the election he had announced the introduction of Australian style regional domestic cricket system.

On August 9 last year, the federal cabinet approved the new constitution of the PCB, after which the departmental system was abolished and instead of departments, provincial teams are now part of domestic cricket.