On Tuesday, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi held a long-due, much-needed meeting with over 12 former and current senior cricketers of the country to submit their suggestions regarding the improving future course of cricket in Pakistan. At the heart of the meeting was a presentation from Chairman Naqvi, titled “Pathway to Pakistan Cricket,” which detailed the steps needed to reach the national team.
One of the most prominent observations came from former cricketer Sikandar Bakht—not a single mention of the U19 journey in the presentation. Bakht also gave his views on the scheduling of domestic cricket and explained that it needed to be more structured. He emphasizes that a player had to play first-class cricket prior to selection.
The house unanimously agreed to open the domestic season with four-day cricket in September and October, followed by one-day cricket. Former skipper Salman Butt emphasized the importance of four-day cricket and recommended increasing the tours for A team, U19 and U16 teams. One of the participants recommended the hosting of A-team tours by leading cricketing nations like Australia, England, and South Africa, so that players get more exposure.
He had also floated the idea of a Pentangular Cup, which would be a five-a-side competition involving top performers from 16 different regions and 10 departments.
Former cricketers pointed to development at the school level by taking care of school cricket for identifying talent from the grassroots level. Haroon Rasheed pitched for decentralization of coach development and regional management with grassroots coaching made compulsory immediately after getting the certification. He referred to the appointment and removal of Misbah-ul-Haq to drive home the point about need for experience in coaching.
Chairman Naqvi assured the participants that vital ideas presented in the meeting would be implemented. He also announced cricket academies in Islamabad and Peshawar and committed to up-gradation in the standard of cricket grounds.
Naqvi said four-day cricket would get maximum precedence, besides enhancing coach education and employment of qualified coaches. He added that five domestic teams would be formed with each team having its own coach and mentor to smooth the grooming of potential cricket stars.
This landmark meeting really is a serious step toward the revamping of Pakistan cricket, and once these changes come into force, a new generation of champions is expected to emerge.
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