Summary Says huge talent being wasted due to lack of proper institutionalized structure.
ISLAMABAD (Online) - PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Wednesday, lambasted the cricket set up in the country saying that Pakistan had greater talent than any other country of the world.
In a press statement Khan regretted that Pakistan has not been able to harness and train this talent because no proper institutionalized structure has been allowed to be built up.
Fraudulent "ghost" clubs existing only on paper have been encouraged, while there had been no facilitation of genuine clubs, no support for administrative infrastructure and genuine elections at all levels.
Khan charged that successive governments have used the PCB s top slot as a means of political patronage and of rewarding cronies, including the latest chairmanship awarded to Najam Sethi, a man with no cricketing or any sporting credentials but merely as a reward for politically aiding the ruling party.
The result has been a complete collapse of cricket in Pakistan despite the enormous talent that exists.
Khan demanded that all this willful destruction of cricket must end immediately. He called for an end to fraudulent clubs; proper institutionalized restructuring of national cricket so genuine clubs can flourish and identify national talent to give it proper opportunity.
Khan called for institutionalized regional bodies that should elect their office bearers as well as the Chairman PCB.
Khan felt the PCB should make policy decisions while cricketing affairs should be managed full time by a professional Chairman through a clear institutionalized cricketing set up.
This is how it happens all over the world, Khan pointed out.
State patronage should be for discovering cricketing talent not as a means of political reward for cronies, Khan asserted.
Imran Khan also stated that in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa he had set up a cricket talent hunt and was helping in organizing an institutionalized cricketing set up at the provincial level where the abundant raw talent could be nurtured. He said the results would be apparent over the next year.
