Pakistan's domestic cricket structure

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
1

I was reading the other thread by fair_&_Balance about Dalmiya’s masterstroke, and it seems like in India, where Ranji trophy is organized on regional basis, the spectator-interest is dismal as well and so Dalmiya is suggesting a corporate-backed cricket trophy where international players can come in to play in India. Recently we had heard that Imran Khan’s long standing recommendation that Pakistan should also organize domestic cricket on regional basis to attract spectators has been accepted.

So Pakistan is going one way (regional-based)… and India is going the other (corporation-based).

I think a hybrid should be a better way to go. Allow corporations/ individuals/ departments to get franchize over teams for a specific city. That way the supporters can back their regional team. And the teams can call a particular stadium as their home. The corporations can have television rights and gate-money/ads (instead of jobs) to attract good quality players to play for them and pay them thru higher revenues. The better a team performs, the more revenues it will have and the better chances it will have to attract better players.

And since Lahore and Karachi will invariably have higher viewer-base, so the smaller city teams can be given the first pick of promising new players from the club cricket.

So, what are the chances of having Lahore Shaheens (owned by Saigol family) and Karachi Jaanbaaz (owned by Citibank) playing the final Super Series in night-lights in Shaheens Stadium (formerly known as Gaddafi Stadium), after winning Quaid-e-Azam League and President’s League, respectively? :slight_smile:

2

Re: Pakistan's domestic cricket structure

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I was reading the other thread by fair_&_Balance about Dalmiya's masterstroke, and it seems like in India, where Ranji trophy is organized on regional basis, the spectator-interest is dismal as well and so Dalmiya is suggesting a corporate-backed cricket trophy where international players can come in to play in India. Recently we had heard that Imran Khan's long standing recommendation that Pakistan should also organize domestic cricket on regional basis to attract spectators has been accepted.

So Pakistan is going one way (regional-based)... and India is going the other (corporation-based).

I think a hybrid should be a better way to go. Allow corporations/ individuals/ departments to get franchize over teams for a specific city. That way the supporters can back their regional team. And the teams can call a particular stadium as their home. The corporations can have television rights and gate-money/ads (instead of jobs) to attract good quality players to play for them and pay them thru higher revenues. The better a team performs, the more revenues it will have and the better chances it will have to attract better players.

And since Lahore and Karachi will invariably have higher viewer-base, so the smaller city teams can be given the first pick of promising new players from the club cricket.

So, what are the chances of having Lahore Shaheens (owned by Saigol family) and Karachi Jaanbaaz (owned by Citibank) playing the final Super Series in night-lights in Shaheens Stadium (formerly known as Gaddafi Stadium), after winning Quaid-e-Azam League and President's League, respectively? :)
[/QUOTE]

Faisal,

I dont think india is giving up Regional championship.Ranji Trophy is going to be there .Its just that they are introduding one corporate tournament.

But yes I liked your Idea.What you are siggesting is basically what is happening in USA, Coprorate sponsored regional teams.

3

good ideas there Faisal, and I agree with a hybrid approach. The only way the (majority) of the pak public will turn out to local games is to support their regional local teams. Sadly, cricket is appreciated less as a sport then a display of "we're better than you" or unless there are superstars involved. Which is why there's such a huge difference in attendance in international games (on pak grounds) featuring Pakistan and those that don't. Domestic ki to baat hi alag hai.

But purely regional teams won't do it either. There'll be noone pumping in the $$. That can only come from sponsors who'll see this as good advertising and promotion.

It does have that sort of structure already though. XI players assemble under a "National Bank of Pakistan" banner or the like, and then there are the "Any-city" Gymkhanas Associations, Whites, Greens etc.

But there are a lot of lota players who play any and everywhere, hopping and switching teams frequently. There is no fan base, support for a particular team is non-existent, and nowhere near the marketing that promtes a "rivalry" in the media as is the case with professional North American teams.

Good cricket attendance needs dough to invest in the quality of the teams, marketing and promotion. That can come from sponsors, but that requires lobbies to pitch the idea and convince them to take the risk (which it will be). It has to be done on a large scale and involve all the right people. Australia's Pura Milk Cup (Sheffield Sheild) is a perfect example to adhere to as a guideline, and then mould and refine to cater to the local sensibilites and wants.

I too dream of a day to turn up in fan gear and war paint outside a stadium in pak and exchange pleasantries with rival fans and continue the support inside during the game. At the domesic level.

Let's hope that turns into a reality someday insha'Allah.

4

Diablo.. personally a healthy dose of regional rivalry is quite useful to bring supporters in the ground. There is nothing like a well-orchestrated match of anday tamatar between the supporters once the match is over. However, it may be difficult to pull through a controlled fusion and the results, therefore, can be disastrous.

So, yes, we should stick to encouraging more high-profile players come in and play and offer performance bonuses to attract good solid cricket.

5

You definitly need regional rivalry to have a decent crowd. I mean what would you rather watch, Habib Bank vs Fauji Fertilizer or Karachi vs Lahore.
Of course the failing of a system like this would be that it might require government money to get started due to decreased coporate support.

6

I definitly love the idea of corporate companies owning regional teams like US sports.
It will definitly be popular among Pakistanis.

7

**PCB award one-dayers to provincial cricket bodies **
By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday caused a major blow to the role and influence of the leading cricket associations in the country by awarding the newly constituted provincial cricket associations the right to host all international matches in the country in the coming season.

In a meeting held this evening at the PCB headquarters in Lahore between the Board Chairman Lt. General Tauqir Zia and the heads of the four provincial associations Hasib Ahsan (Sindh), Ijaz Butt (Punjab), Nawabzada Aminullah Raisani (Balochistan) and Anwar Zeb Jan (NWFP) it was also decided that in future 70% of the earnings of a international match would go to the concerned provincial association.

“For example if a match is held in Karachi, the Sindh association will organise the match and 70% of the earnings will go to it and 30% to the Board,” a PCB spokesman said.

“In the past the associations were responsible for organizing the international matches in their home town and they kept 70% of the earnings.”

“But now the provincial association will get the 70% share and it will than equally distribute this money among its affiliated units in its province. In the
past say for example if Karachi city cricket association organized a match it kept the 70% for itself. But now the earnings will be distributed in the entire province,” the spokesman explained.

He said this equal distribution of earnings would mean promotion and uplift of the game in
the entire province and would not be restricted to just the major cities.

He said the Board had also expressed confidence in the ability of the provincial associations to organize the international matches on behalf of the PCB.

He said the Chairman had asked the heads of the associations to work for the promotion of the game justly and on priority basis and play a leading role in reorganizing the domestic cricket structure.

He also assured them the Board had full constitutional cover for forming the provincial associations as supreme bodies in the provinces and had only taken this step after proper consultation and legal advice.

The Board will announce today (Wednesday) the names of the remaining officials of the provincial associations.

8

**PCB announce PCA office-bearers **
KARACHI: The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Lt Gen Tauqir Zia on Wednesday announced the office-bearers of the Provincial Cricket Associations with an optimism that the newly formed entities will play a positive role in the development and spreading of the game in their respective provinces.

“The heads of the provincial setups are experienced stalwarts with honorable record as administrators and organizers. The PCB is confident that their presence and active support would be helpful in developing and promoting the game in every corner of the country,” he said.

"With the new political and administrative structure of the country and 100-plus districts taking part in cricket organized by the PCB, it was imperative that the provincial cricket associations be formed to share the organizational and administrative work. With these four associations now in place, cricket would be look after in a much more organized manner in the smaller districts.

“We are looking at the proposals of various sponsors and also trying to project our first-class cricket on television. This would raise the profile of our domestic structure and also provide financial support to improve the game in the districts,” said the PCB Chairman.

Mr Hasib Ahsan has been appointed President of the Sindh Cricket Association, Mr Ijaz Butt President of Punjab Cricket Association, Mr Nawabzada Aminullah Raisani head of the Balochistan Cricket Association and Mr Anwar Zeb Jan is to lead the NWFP Provincial Association.

The complete office bearers:

SINDH PROVICIAL CRICKET ASSOCIATION: Hasib Ahsan (President), Dr S.M.A Shah (Vice-President), Mr Aslam Sanjrani (Secretary) and Bashir Ahmad (Treasurer). Members will be announced shortly.

NWFP PROVINCIAL CRICKET ASSOCIATION: Anwar Zeb Jan (President) (Peshawar), Maazullah Khan (Senior Vice President), Dr Tariq (Vice-President) (Mardan), Jalil Khan (Secretary) (Nowshera), Nisar Mohammad Khan (Treasurer). Maqsood Kundi (D.I Khan), Wasim Sheikh (Abbottabad), Fazle Malik Oragzai (Parachinar) (all members).

PUNJAB PROVINCIAL CRICKET ASSOCIATION: Ijaz Butt (President), Khawaja Bilal Ahmad (Vice-President), Captain Syed Naseer Ahmad (Secretary), Pervez Masood (Treasurer), Zahid Khan Burki (Multan), Aboobakar Naeem (Lahore), Azhar Majeed Shaikh (Faisalabad), Ashraf Qureshi (Rawalpindi), Khawar Anwar Khawaja (Sialkot) (all members. Member from Azad Kashmir to be named shortly).

BALOCHISTAN PROVINCIAL CRICKET ASSOCIATION: Nawabzada Aminullah Raisani (President), Yawar Aziz (Senior Vice-President), Mohammad Khan Marri (Vice-President), Tariq Baloch (Secretary), Abdul Rehman Baloch, Mohammad Khair (both members). Another member to be named shortly.

Legal Advisor Syed Asghar Haider said the PCB was empowered to create the Provincial setup under Article 4 (a), (b), (g) and (p) of the constitution of the PCB, read in conjunction with Article 44.

The PCB Chairman said the Provincial Cricket Associations will control, manage, regulate, promote and develop the game; make rules/regulations necessary for the functioning of District Cricket Associations and control and regulate the finances.

The PCB Chairman said nominations for the Provincial associations are for a one-year term and thereafter, elections will be held. “They will be the care-takers for one year and will not contest elections when they are held next year.”

The PCB Chairman said the provincial associations will be responsible for hosting domestic international matches in the forthcoming season. “The PCB will sign MoUs with the provincial associations and 70 per cent of the earning from every match will go to the provincial associations who will be responsible for equal distribution of the profits amongst city/district associations. This is being done to financially support and assist cash-strapped smaller city/district associations,” said Lt Gen Tauqir Zia.