Has the CMC pressed self-destruct button?

The Cricket Management Committee (CMC) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appears to have pressed the selfdestruct button by announcing a complex and unimaginative 2002-2003 domestic schedule.

A total of 444 matches in 199 playing days with just 86 firstclass games (to be competed by 29 teams) is nothing but free-forall policy with cricket being made easy for all and sundry.

While chalking out heavy schedule, the CMC seems to have ignored the basics of competitive cricket - quality umpiring, supporting pitches and ideal playing conditions.

To begin with, when there will be 444 matches, it is anybody's guess what would be the standard of umpiring because unfortunately there are only a handful of quality umpires on the domestic circuit. The ample proof is that there is not a single umpire on the ICC panel and whosoever were in the past, never got their due share.

It means all the second and third rated umpires will get the postings and there will be no official to keep checks and balances. One wonders if general manager cricket operations, Zakir Khan, a man who owes his job to a former skipper, and the PCB's favourite Ramiz Raja, mastermind behind this chaotic situation, will travel to places like Qilla Abdullah, Manshehra, Chaghi and other smaller towns where there are no luxuries of a five-star accommodation or hefty daily allowances.

Secondly, by the time the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam Trophy would commence Dec 10, the season would have already been three months old and the best umpires would have become tired, resulting in inconsistencies and thus, decline in their performance.

Thirdly, by the time the first-class tournaments begin, the pitches of the Test centres would have been used regularly and the freshness of the surface would have dried up.

One is sure Ramiz, Zakir and Iqbal Qasim (chairman of CMC) are aware of the fact that it requires more than two weeks to prepare a good supporting track. That seems highly unlikely in the present scenario, unless the trio have a magic wand.

If the CMC plans to organize the qualifying tournaments or junior cricket in smaller and newly built centres, who will witness and judge the performances of the individuals or teams.

Cricket should be popularized and promoted in every nook and corner of the country. But it should be done systematically and not as haphazardly as it is being done in this case.

In this background, it is surely not a bad idea to host tournaments or provide opportunities as a matter of responsibility. But if the objective is to produce quality cricketers, then it is one of the most disastrous ventures.

On the other front, the PCB has not done the budgeting of the tournament, thus flouting the basic rule of any project. When Iqbal Qasim was contacted on the issue, he himself expressed unawareness but hoped the accounts departments must have done it.

The PCB pays a daily allowance of Rs 6,000 to each association and there are 138 associations who will figure this season. It is simple calculation how much will be the total expenses but very difficult to determine from where the PCB would generate funds to meet these expenses.

The PCB marketing department failed to get any sponsorship for domestic season as the sponsors were reluctant to invest in competitions without star players. The status quo, thus remains unchanged as in the present format, Pakistan players will only be available for the Super League to be competed by the four provinces and starting March 25, 2003.

The CMC has also made a joke of itself by reviving the PCB Eleven concept first introduced in 2000-2001 but abolished for the 2001-2002 season. Likewise, the idea of Rest of Eleven was halted.

The CMC would have been wise had they retained the Rest of Eleven concept that would have helped raise good, competitive teams instead of allowing the smaller associations to field substandard and undeserving cricketers.

There is no denying the fact what would be the strength of associations like Chitral, Mansehra, Charsada, Bahawalnagar, Khairpur, Bhakkar etc which doesn't have the basic infrastructure at management level.

Instead, the CMC should have constituted an imaginary provincial association like Sindh Cricket Association and held a tournament for teams like Larkana, Shikarpur, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Badin and Sukkur before picking the best boys and playing them under the banner of Rest of Sindh, like they did last year.

The same could have been done in Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan which would have resulted in the formation of formidable teams and lesser expenses on PCB shoulders.

The introduction of Super League is probably, the worst of all. Instead, the PCB could have revived the Pentangular Cup that was introduced by Late A.H Kardar that later turned into one of the most successful and competitive tournaments.

The idea behind Super League is to make the Pakistan players represent provinces for which they will be paid in dollars. Ramiz hopes that some foreign cricketers might also take part in the tournament that would attract the broadcasters and the sponsors.

But, it is still undecided which players would represent the provinces. Will Wasim Akram agree to represent Balochistan or Waqar Younis agree to play for NWFP or Rashid Latif allowed to wear Punjab colours? Instead all the players would like to play for their own provinces. If that will be the case, who will play for NWFP or Balochistan? Discarded cricketers? Your guess is the same as mine.

The PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia is on course to improve and promote cricket in the country by making significant contribution as far as development is concerned, an area that was ignored by his predecessors. But this idiotic domestic structure will certainly undermine his efforts as the aftereffects of this format will come be known in times to come.