Food for Thought - PCB's constitution muddle (Part II)

Isn't it strange the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been functioning without a constitution for the last two years? Erstwhile Chairman Mujeeb-ur-Rahman's term started August 1999 and lasted a few months with some actions called 'comical' by many. The next incumbent, Dr Zafar Altaf hardly got the chance to practically assume the coveted appointment. Thus the onus of running PCB, controlling the richest and the most popular sport in Pakistan, now rests with the Board's present set up. But it is still being run on an ad hoc basis for the past 20 months and without a constitution in place.

We hear the excuse, they are waiting for the Nation's overall devolution plan to take effect but this does not seem valid. The PCB is an autonomous body with a special role, its constitution has never been subservient to the country's political structure or to the government's plans and policies. The Board appears to have been misguided on this point.

In 1978 an ad hoc committee took over in exactly the same manner as the present set up. The organisation's size was a fraction of what it is now and yet it only took six months to conduct countrywide elections of cricket bodies down to district level, restore the dissolved associations, draft and promulgate a new constitution and appoint the Council and General Body of the Board to run cricket affairs. The restoration of cricket relations with India after a break of 17 years and exchange of teams, renovation and expansion of stadiums and creation of numerous other facilities were the other landmarks.

Except for a few amendments made during the times of Air Marshal (R) Nur Khan, the constitution remained supreme for 18 years. It was on the eve of World Cup 96 that a group of political appointees, desirous of running the Board through their whims and fancies, replaced it with an abstract looking document. Although the new constitution was far from being comprehensive enough to run national cricket, it had not fiddled with vital aspects of the Board's structure. However, it seems the present set up is planning on making fundamental changes.

The actual contents of a new draft constitution are not known but reading between the lines of recent news reports as well as statements issued by PCB officials from time to time, one gathers the following:

1. The Board seems to be waiting for the Government's devolution of power plan to take effect before giving final shape to the document.
2. The Divisional Cricket Associations are being replaced by the Provincial Associations.
3. The membership of Departments, commercial organisations and institutions is being cancelled to give the Board a purely regional touch.

If the above is true, I suggest the PCB should appoint a committee of 'neutral' experts to study the pros and cons of the new proposals. In my opinion, these proposals if implemented will not only retard the development of cricket in the country but also create serious administrative-cum-functional problems for the Board.

One thing is clear, that it is neither obligatory nor necessary for the PCB to conform to the country's political structure. To achieve its aims and objectives with success, the Board should have a set up that suits its own requirements. Apart from infusing politics in the game, the Provincial Associations may well cause disruption and hindrance in the functions of the Board rather than being of any help.

Actually, back in 1978, deep thought was given to this aspect and top legal experts consulted while drafting the 1978 Constitution. A combination of district and divisional cricket association was found to be the most ideal for promotion of cricket in the country and thus adopted. The system stood the rough and tough tests of time and brought unprecedented progress in the game. It must not become a victim of the whims of a group of people who perhaps had/have no love for the game.

As in the past, the District Cricket Associations (DCA's) must be formed with utmost care. Leaving the control of clubs to them, the DCA's are in fact the nurseries of cricket as far as the Board is concerned. There are around 80 districts in the country and the calibre of those elected as heads of DCA's can be well imagined. If the plan is to directly affiliate them with the Board, the PCB will likely turn into a farm with the responsibility of brooding young chicks. If placed under their respective provinces, they will face the vagaries of politics and likes and dislikes, eventually becoming the victims of neglect.

The ideal and the most efficient control of the DCA's would be under the bodies as compact as the former Divisional Cricket Associations. Since the divisions do not exist in the government's devolution plan, I suggest that the good old divisional associations may be revived under the new title of "Regional Cricket Associations" and given the control of DCA's with changes in composition where necessary. These associations should also be given membership of the Board rather than the politically motivated trouble shooting Provincial Associations.

The major blunder in PCB's future plans is the ouster of Government departments, commercial organisations and institutions from the Board. The people at the helm of affairs cannot perhaps visualise the invaluable contribution that they made to cricket during the last three decades. In a poor country like ours, where talented youngsters emerging from lower/middle class families could not afford to buy a full set of cricket gear, these organisations not only provided them employment but also groomed them to become officers.

A cursory glance of the Pakistan's cricket scene, past and present, will show how many great cricketers emerged from organisations like PIA, banks, railway, services and others. With the change of policy, we will not only deprive our cricket of a big chunk of talent but also render hundreds of promising cricketers, officials and umpires jobless, ultimately closing the doors of employment for the future aspirants.

It's no secret that former skipper Imran Khan, disliked the presence of these organisations and always harped on the tune of organising Pakistan cricket purely on regional basis. There is no doubt Imran was a great cricketer as well as captain but as I said in my first article, cricket administration is a different cup of tea. Imran's proposal was not accepted for being unsuitable to our conditions. The present Board has somehow succumbed to something similar, perhaps not knowing its implications and adverse effects on the game, its popularity and promotion.

I am surprised to read Rameez Raja's explanation of the priorities under the PCB Vision 2005, which included 'progressive phasing out of department based cricket'. I wonder, how could a person who happens to be a senior employee of a major bank and their team actively participates in domestic cricket, is reconciled to such an idea?

Out of the numerous disadvantages that the ouster of department-based cricket has, I will only discuss one and leave the rest to those in power. The Regional cricket associations produce hundreds of talented players. As per rules only 25 of them could represent the association team in domestic cricket while the best among the left over lot played for the departmental teams. Now when the departmental teams are being phased out, where would these boys go?

In defence of the plan one may say that, 'the associations could be allowed to enter any number of teams in domestic cricket tournaments'. Having been a part of the system, I know that our associations do not have enough funds even to send their teams to far-off places to play matches. How would they manage it? What about the employment of these boys? I feel the change will reduce the level of our domestic cricket to a third-rate competition. And last of all, what are we trying to gain by changing the system?
(To be continued.....)