LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday decided to make participation in domestic cricket mandatory for selection in the national team, days after the poor performance of the Green Shirts in the T20 World Cup.
According to Geo News, the decision was taken in an hour-long meeting chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to improve the quality of domestic cricket.
The forum decided to review the internal agreement and formulate a strategy in this regard.
The development has led former cricketers to condemn the Pakistan team for being eliminated ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Some have suggested sending players to the internal circuit to strengthen their core techniques.
Pakistan lost USA by 5 wickets and India by 6 wickets for the first time in Super Over tie. On June 11, they managed to win seven wickets against Canada.
After the match between the USA and Ireland was abandoned due to rain on June 14, the hosts were awarded a point, ending Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the tournament.
The national team’s last league match against Ireland was only official, after which the team returned home.
Naqvi said that quality domestic cricket will be promoted at all levels and for this purpose the tournament will continue from club to national level.
A head coach will be appointed to train domestic cricket coaches, he said, adding that he would invest in new talent to develop cricket at the grassroots level.
The PCB chief said that players will be selected only on the basis of their performance and fitness. According to him, there will be no compromise.
The meeting reviewed the domestic cricket structures of India, Australia, England and New Zealand.
