LAHORE, :By Sohail Ali
The 67th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken a number of important decisions pertaining to further uplift of the game under the vision of Its Chairman Ramiz Raja.
A spokesman of the PCB said here on Wednesday the meeting was held on Tuesday, 21 December in Karachi and it focused on a number of matters specially on cricket development plans.
Following are some of the key outcomes and updates of the meeting,
(Cricket development plans)
In line with the PCB’s strategy of investing in youth and pathways cricket following a bottom-up approach, the BoG backed and supported the PCB Chairman’s two new initiatives, which are:
• Pathway Junior Contracts – Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and bright cricketers under the ages of 11, 14, 16 and 19. Under this programme, the talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and also earn 100 per cent scholarship, which will provide them access to cost-free education at a leading local educational institution that, in turn, will help them become wholesome individuals.
• Pathway Cricket Foundation – Again through a strategic partnership, the PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches at the National High Performance Centre. These coaches will work very closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture and develop them and prepare them for future events, including the U19 PSL, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and help elite and emerging cricketers.
All discussions and details on the above initiatives with the PCB’s strategic partners have taken place and further details will follow shortly.
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said : “In order to create a long-term sustainable process, it is essential that we continue to tap into, stimulate and motivate the youth’s passion and talent for cricket, whilst focusing on a bottom-up approach towards participation and making attempts to bridge the wide divide between pathways and Pakistan cricket journey.
“We feel that our Junior Contracts and Cricket Foundation initiatives will now play a decisive role in ensuring that raw talent from even the remotest and less privileged of areas in Pakistan reaches its full potential.
“Through these and various other initiatives, including an all-Pakistan Talent Hunt Programme, we aim to unearth the hidden talent and provide them absolute clarity at a very young age that the PCB will back, support and provide a clear pathway through which they can embark on their journey of representing Pakistan at an international stage.”
(Club scrutiny process and amendment to CA Model Constitution)
The BoG approved the club scrutiny procedure for 3,822 clubs, who took part in the First Registration of Cricket Clubs, across 90 City Cricket Associations in the first half of 2022. The club scrutiny procedure will be available on the PCB corporate website under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions next week.
Furthermore, the BoG also approved amendment to Article 4.1(h) of the Model Constitution for Cricket Associations, which deals with Objects and Functions of the Cricket Association, now reads as: “…. coordinate cricket activities within their jurisdiction including but not limited to holding and organizing the tournaments, which may include divisional cricket, and endeavor to also organize or assist in organization of tournaments for clubs and schools …”
(Pakistan men’s cricket team performances)
Taking into consideration that a long and demanding international cricket period awaits the Pakistan men’s cricket team, an extensive discussion on the players’ workload handling took place. The BoG requested the PCB management to explore options and submit suggestions on how the elite cricketers can preserve their energies for Pakistan by remaining supremely fit, injury-free and fresh.
The BoG appreciated the performance of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team and felt they came significantly close to meeting the expectations of their fans in the last quarter of 2021 through their grit, determination and positive attitude.
The PCB Chairman highlighted Babar Azam’s authority, leadership and impact on the side as one of the turnaround factors. He also credited the calm influences of Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling consultant) as the other contributing factor as the trio were able to create a relaxed team environment that, in turn, allowed the team to excel, particularly during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Other updates:
• West Indies will play three Twenty20 Internationals in the build up to the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023. The West Indies team are already scheduled to play ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs in June 2022 to make up for the postponed December 2021 matches due to an increased number of Covid-19 cases in their side
• The BoG approved in-principle the construction of 60 additional (international quality) player rooms each at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. When completed, this will resolve the PCB’s challenges around logistics, security and road commuting, as well as setting-up and handling the Managed Event Environment
• PCB Chairman, Acting Chief Executive Officer and the PCB BOG Committees submitted their reports, while the Chief Financial Officer presented his quarterly financial statements. Separately, there were presentations on fan engagement as well as on women’s cricket. Earlier, the BoG welcomed incoming PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain, who attended the meeting as an observer and will formally start in Lahore around mid-January.
