The Pakistan Cricket Board "is contemplating a radical change in its domestic cricket structure which would see the abolishment of departmental cricket after nearly five decades in the country," according to Ahad Awan of PAKISTAN TODAY. At the last managing committee meeting held in Lahore this month, Chair Najam Sethi "had expressed his dissatisfaction with the prevailing domestic cricket structure which is split into first class tournaments for departments/banks and regional cricket associations." A source said, “Apparently a proposal has been sent to the constitution committee of the board to incorporate in the constitution which would convert the domestic structure based on regional cricket." Under the proposal, the department or bank which provides patronage to a region "will also provide a certain number of players for the regional team in the first class and one-day tournaments." But "apparently the radical plan has already hit a snag with some leading departments and banks questioning the wisdom of this move as they point out it would eventually lead to closure of sports departments and unemployment of players" (PAKISTAN TODAY, 4/21). PAKISTAN TODAY also reported Pakistani cricket authorities "have launched an investigation" after a number of current int'l stars played in exhibition matches in the U.S. with banned cricketer Danish Kaneria. Kaneria "was given a lifetime ban for spot-fixing in an English county game," which under Int'l Cricket Council rules effectively bars him from playing anywhere in the world. But "he represented the Houston Eagles in a series of Twenty20 games last weekend in Houston, Texas, with Test players Wahab Riaz and Nasir Jamshed taking part for rival team Boom Boom Blasters." Other Pakistani players "involved in the games" were Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq and Shahzaib Hasan (PAKISTAN TODAY, 4/19).
