Regional or Departmental Cricket?

[Maula Jutt]

Regional teams can have more fan following since people would passionately follow their region's team as compared to a KESC or PIA team

However, regional teams don't have the resources to properly groom cricketers. Plus, they depend on PCB and we all know PCB!

Here, the departmental teams win because they provide better resources to cricketers. But again, they lose big points on the "passion"?

Which one is better in your opinion, and why?

 

[T20_Cricket]

Which one is better in your opinion, and why?

Regional

 

[CricnPak]

Why not regional teams sponsored by departments?

 

[Maula Jutt]

Why not regional teams sponsored by departments?

I have thought about this too. Anyone has any idea why this hasn't happened?

 

[Awesome_Username]

Neither will have any sort of fan following for the 4-day and maybe even the one day game. The T20 mode might have some following if implemented along regional lines and marketed cleverly and heavily all across the country.

 

[T20_Cricket]

I have thought about this too. Anyone has any idea why this hasn't happened?

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/388240.html

 

[Maula Jutt]

So where exactly will we get our 'quality' players from?

 

[Maula Jutt]

Why don't they sell their regional teams to private owners like them football clubs and IPL teams?

 

[Black Zero]

However, regional teams don't have the resources to properly groom cricketers. Plus, they depend on PCB and we all know PCB!

Here, the departmental teams win because they provide better resources to cricketers.

Then why departmental are losing big time in QEA trophy...

Last 10 years, Departmental won only twice.


2001/02 Karachi Whites
2002/03 PIA
2003/04 Faisalabad
2004/05 Peshawar
2005/06 Sialkot
2006/07 Karachi Urban
2007/08 SNGPL
2008/09 Sialkot
2009/10 Karachi Blues

 

[Awesome_Username]

So where exactly will we get our 'quality' players from?

I don't think having a fan base is necessary. I don't think the State sides in Australia get a lot of people through the gates for their first class competitions. Having the regional sides helps more in that you tend to have a limited number of teams, which leads to a higher level of competition, and the guy who does well is more likely to be the real deal. I understand how having a prestigious domestic competition will help in that it will make the teams try to improve the players themselves, getting better coaching structures in etc. But if the PCB was a bit more visionary, it can create these coaching structures in place at the lower levels on its own. But thats a big if.

 

[Maula Jutt]

Then why departmental are losing big time in QEA trophy...

Last 10 years, Departmental won only twice.

But these two are the reasons most commonly stated by many cricketers themselves when differentiating between departmental and regional teams.

 

[Maula Jutt]

I don't think having a fan base is necessary. I don't think the State sides in Australia get a lot of people through the gates for their first class competitions. Having the regional sides helps more in that you tend to have a limited number of teams, which leads to a higher level of competition, and the guy who does well is more likely to be the real deal. I understand how having a prestigious domestic competition will help in that it will make the teams try to improve the players themselves, getting better coaching structures in etc. But if the PCB was a bit more visionary, it can create these coaching structures in place at the lower levels on its own. But thats a big if.

But how do you get the youth interested in domestic cricket if it doesn't follow a local team?

 

[Black Zero]

But these two are the reasons most commonly stated by many cricketers themselves when differentiating between departmental and regional teams.

Well if they can't back their statements with data, then we would be better off ignoring those "many cricketers".

 

[Maula Jutt]

Well if they can't back their statements with data, then we would be better off ignoring those "many cricketers".

Hmmm. So if they don't have passionate fan bases and their resources don't really translate into results, then what purpose are they serving??

There must be something, or we won't be having them for so long. They've been around for ages. Imran Khan criticizes them but he himself used to play for PIA.

So why do we have them?

 

[Black Zero]

Hmmm. So if they don't have passionate fan bases and their resources don't really translate into results, then what purpose are they serving??

There must be something, or we won't be having them for so long. They've been around for ages. Imran Khan criticizes them but he himself used to play for PIA.

So why do we have them?

If departments want then they should own some regional team.
Otherwise departmental sport is just artificial setup.


And why player support D.Cricket, cause of salaries.

 

[Awesome_Username]

But how do you get the youth interested in domestic cricket if it doesn't follow a local team?

To be very honest, our problem right now isn't that there aren't enough guys playing the game. That might be a problem for places like New Zealand or Zimbabwe etc, but I think Pakistan gets enough guys taking up the sport for it to have a good team. Just that the structure is very poor, and our guys don't seem to get the right coaching as youngsters. Also, I would imagine that with the national team itself being vulnerable to parchis, the domestic scene is probably not merit oriented either. That is just a national problem, not much that can be done about that.

I think more than anything else, we need to initiate a good, well marketed T20 domestic competition to provide a healthy source of entertainment for the people in Pakistan.

 

[Maula Jutt]

To be very honest, our problem right now isn't that there aren't enough guys playing the game. That might be a problem for places like New Zealand or Zimbabwe etc, but I think Pakistan gets enough guys taking up the sport for it to have a good team. Just that the structure is very poor, and our guys don't seem to get the right coaching as youngsters. Also, I would imagine that with the national team itself being vulnerable to parchis, the domestic scene is probably not merit oriented either. That is just a national problem, not much that can be done about that.

That's true. I agree with you.

I think more than anything else, we need to initiate a good, well marketed T20 domestic competition to provide a healthy source of entertainment for the people in Pakistan.

The only problem with this that I can think of is that such competitions will probably throw up a lot of potential T20 players. We are already good at it. What about longer formats where our team sucks? How can domestic structure help in that area?

 

[Awesome_Username]

That's true. I agree with you.





The only problem with this that I can think of is that such competitions will probably throw up a lot of potential T20 players. We are already good at it. What about longer formats where our team sucks? How can domestic structure help in that area?

Yes I know. I was talking in the context of the general public, as in we need to do a better job of monetizing the passion for cricket, specially T20. This money can then pay for overall development, although its more likely to be gobbled up by some nefarious individual anyway.

But yeah as far as the problem of producing high quality test cricketers goes, tbh I think atleast in the short term the only real solution, albeit expensive, is for the PCB to select a group of 20-25 young teens, and start getting them playing in various leagues in places like Australia, England, South Africa etc, at the highest level possible. It might be expensive, and it's sidestepping the actual problem, but it could work.

 

[Desire]

regional. they could have made, islamabad team sponsored by PIA, karachi team sponsored by Habib Bank etc etc.

 

[Dr. Khan]

I think they can keep both. I was listening to Imran Khan on this topic and he makes a lot of sense. Right now there is a monopoly in place in the form of the departmental structure. It is sort of a mafia and thereby difficult to replace - not to mention the Aamers and the Miandads using anti-regional statements for political backing.

So according to Imran and I agree with him - you have max 6 regional teams and the best from the departments feeding into the regional teams. The regional teams may be sponsored by the departments so their vested interest would go on. I mean from a business point of view this model has every chance to succeed, you just need someone to be able to sell it.

With no international cricket, regional cricket can help sustain or even increase the interest in cricket within the country. Who cares if PIA is playing Khan Research Labs - ppl generally tend to affiliate themselves with the city they live in. Further when you would only have 6 teams - most of the talent would be in those teams and make viewing more interesting and the cricket that much more competitive - then you can also have tv deals. Lastly selection would be much easier - keep track of the regional competition.

Currently things are so shabby - news came out not so long ago someone wanted his driver to play so made his sifarish. Now imagine some tom, dick, or harry is bowling to bastman that the selectors are keeping an eye on. It would be very easy for that batsman to skew his batting average. This is the reason we can not rely on domestic performances at the moment - a card a lot of PPers also use.

 

[Maula Jutt]

I think they can keep both. I was listening to Imran Khan on this topic and he makes a lot of sense. Right now there is a monopoly in place in the form of the departmental structure. It is sort of a mafia and thereby difficult to replace - not to mention the Aamers and the Miandads using anti-regional statements for political backing.

So according to Imran and I agree with him - you have max 6 regional teams and the best from the departments feeding into the regional teams. The regional teams may be sponsored by the departments so their vested interest would go on. I mean from a business point of view this model has every chance to succeed, you just need someone to be able to sell it.

With no international cricket, regional cricket can help sustain or even increase the interest in cricket within the country. Who cares if PIA is playing Khan Research Labs - ppl generally tend to affiliate themselves with the city they live in. Further when you would only have 6 teams - most of the talent would be in those teams and make viewing more interesting and the cricket that much more competitive - then you can also have tv deals. Lastly selection would be much easier - keep track of the regional competition.

Currently things are so shabby - news came out not so long ago someone wanted his driver to play so made his sifarish. Now imagine some tom, dick, or harry is bowling to bastman that the selectors are keeping an eye on. It would be very easy for that batsman to skew his batting average. This is the reason we can not rely on domestic performances at the moment - a card a lot of PPers also use.

Why don't we privatize these regional clubs? Where profit and bottom line is concerned, there is less chance of sifarish.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I think they can keep both. I was listening to Imran Khan on this topic and he makes a lot of sense. Right now there is a monopoly in place in the form of the departmental structure. It is sort of a mafia and thereby difficult to replace - not to mention the Aamers and the Miandads using anti-regional statements for political backing.

So according to Imran and I agree with him - you have max 6 regional teams and the best from the departments feeding into the regional teams. The regional teams may be sponsored by the departments so their vested interest would go on. I mean from a business point of view this model has every chance to succeed, you just need someone to be able to sell it.

With no international cricket, regional cricket can help sustain or even increase the interest in cricket within the country. Who cares if PIA is playing Khan Research Labs - ppl generally tend to affiliate themselves with the city they live in. Further when you would only have 6 teams - most of the talent would be in those teams and make viewing more interesting and the cricket that much more competitive - then you can also have tv deals. Lastly selection would be much easier - keep track of the regional competition.

Currently things are so shabby - news came out not so long ago someone wanted his driver to play so made his sifarish. Now imagine some tom, dick, or harry is bowling to bastman that the selectors are keeping an eye on. It would be very easy for that batsman to skew his batting average. This is the reason we can not rely on domestic performances at the moment - a card a lot of PPers also use.

Interesting post. I would prefer regional to departmental every day, but making it commercially viable has to be done in some way other than spectator footfall, as it's become pretty clear that Pakistani fans will only pay to watch limited overs cricket.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Regional.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Why not regional teams sponsored by departments?

It should happen.

 

[Kashmiri_Pak_fan]

Can anyone pls insight us here about how would the squads look like if the rumoured structure takes place which is six teams including one team each from Fata, sindh , bolochistan and kpk while two teams from punjab north and south?
I mean which are the notable players from bolochistan?

 

[JibranAnsari]

As long as you keep playing your premier 4 day tournament on substandard pitches at wrong time of the year , nothing will change. Our 4 day games give us an average of 65 overs per day.

 

[Sytariq]

As long as you keep playing your premier 4 day tournament on substandard pitches at wrong time of the year , nothing will change. Our 4 day games give us an average of 65 overs per day.

..absolutely right. .Agree