PCB approves first boards of six cricket associations.

Byline: Khalid H. Khan

KARACHI -- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given approval to the eagerly-awaited First Boards of the six cricket associations at its 61st Board of Governors (BoG) meeting while empowering the interim bodies, appointed for one-year term, to carry out functions assigned to respective management committees.

According to the discussions which took place here on Saturday, the BoG also decided that the registration of clubs across the country will start in March with more details to be shared later.

The formation of the First Boards of the associations is in line with Clause 16 of the 2019 PCB Constitution is limited for a 12-month period with its functioning as per mentioned in the Model Constitutions for City Cricket and Cricket Associations, who will manage and run day-to-day affairs, supervising the first registration of cricket clubs under each CCA as per applicable regulations/by laws and monitoring and organising cricket events and activities within its jurisdiction.

'We have been trying for long time how to roll out a proper structure for domestic cricket and the formation of these [six] first boards of cricket associations is a step in the right direction. The people who will run them are high-quality individuals with excellent reputation in their respective fields,' PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told a media conference on Sunday.

'Our aim has been to bring in those people who have no political affiliations as such and who are willing to work for the interest of cricket. The first task for each of these interim associations is to appoint their chief executive, head of cricket operations and chief accountant. We will obviously support them but the decision will be theirs and then their structure will start working. The PCB will provide them offices but not at our premises/offices so they function independently.

'Further, each association has around 15 to 18 cities under its jurisdiction. Therefore, some 90-100 coaches will be appointed who will be former cricketers. All these will be done soon but from Match 1 registration of clubs would begin before the process of scrutiny starts.

Nadeem Khan, the director of High Performance Centre, while briefing the media pointed the PCB would be undertaking the registration process online, a facility that will link up.

'We have the tasked the Punjab Informational and Technology to help through their call centres. We'll be advertising the system of registering the clubs through...