Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure took a major hit when Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected the reinstatement of departmental cricket in the domestic season of 2020/21. The Prime Minister rejected the player’s plea as the domestic structure aims for changes which will have only provinicial teams battling it out. According to reports in the Pakistan media, a draft has been circulated which has no mention of any tournaments for the departments.
According to Shakil Sheikh, the former member PCB Government Board and head of the Board Cricket and Domestic committees, stated that there were no tournaments for the departments and they have been ‘robbed’ off their dues. Another official in the Pakistan Cricket Board stated the Board was unanimous in making departments part of the domestic cricket structure, with some members going as far as to say they must pool up a total of Rs 200 million to be part of the system or they will have to bare all the expenses
Massive blow for players
What is departmental cricket in Pakistan? Domestic cricket in Pakistan has been played among departments and regions for nearly 50 years, starting in the early 1970s, when Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistan's first Test captain and then PCB chairman, encouraged organisations like Habib Bank Limited, Sui Southern Gas Corporation, Water and Power Development Authority and others to provide employment opportunities for players.
What does this do for the players? According to several reports, this has meant that these organisations have suspended their contracts with cricketers. The permanent employees at the organisations have been given only desk jobs at a very meagre salary, meaning their cricket careers are over. Most people who were hired purely for cricket skills are now doing non-executive jobs at a lesser salary.
This has seen 400 cricketers lose their livelihoods because they had held jobs with these departments and also because they were playing for them. In the new season, the Pakistan Cricket Board offered contracts to only 192 cricketers, apart from match officials.
