Why Former Selector Blames Imran Khan for Pakistan's Downfall
Former chief selector and head coach Haroon Rasheed has strongly criticised former Prime Minister Imran Khan's overhaul of Pakistan's domestic cricket structure, asserting that the changes directly led to the decline of the nation's cricketing standards.
Key Points
- Former chief selector Haroon Rasheed believes Imran Khan's decision to change Pakistan's domestic cricket structure led to the sport's downfall in the country.
- Imran Khan, as Prime Minister, rejected a proposed hybrid domestic cricket model, insisting on reducing first-class teams to five or six, similar to the Australian structure.
- Haroon Rasheed, part of the task force, felt the move to provincial cricket, excluding departmental teams, was a wrong decision that lowered cricket standards.
- Rasheed highlights India's strong domestic cricket structure, including various tournaments and independent state associations, as a key to their success.
- He advocates for decentralisation of power within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and greater independence for regional associations and departments.
Former chief selector and head coach Haroon Rasheed believes the downfall of Pakistan cricket started the moment former Prime Minister Imran Khan changed the domestic structure. Haroon, who was part of the task force set up to study the domestic structure when Imran was the Prime Minister, revealed how his former Pakistan captain had insisted on changing Pakistan's first-class structure to just five-six teams.
"I was part of the cricket board and task force and I remember when we met with Imran we submitted a hybrid domestic cricket model. But he rejected it outright," Haroon said on a podcast on the 'Smash It' sports channel.
Imran Khan's Vision for Domestic Cricket
Imran was the Prime Minister from 2018 after his party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won the general elections but he was voted out of power in 2022 and is now in Adiala Jail facing various charges related to his term. The celebrated Pakistan captain, who won the 1992 World Cup for his country, had ordered a revamp of the domestic structure reducing first-class cricket from 10-16 teams to just five teams on the lines of the Australian structure. Many cricket critics and analysts believe the move backfired for Pakistan cricket.
Haroon recalled that being the Prime Minister, Imran was very busy with his other responsibilities. "How much time do you think a Prime Minister can give? We were ordered to submit a revised domestic cricket plan and we did that and it was a hybrid one," Haroon said.
The Rejected Hybrid Model
Haroon worked in the PCB after his retirement until 2020 in various influential positions including chief selector, selector, head coach, head of high performance and development and manager. "I remember we told Imran that the hybrid model was best for our cricket as while we had reduced teams to eight but we had kept the participation of departmental teams in domestic cricket.
"But Imran in his short meeting with us rejected the hybrid model and said he didn't want eight but a maximum five to six teams in the domestic structure. We told him it would be better to gradually switch to a new domestic structure but eventually you have to listen to the Prime Minister," Haroon recalled. "He might have meant well but it didn't work out for Pakistan cricket."
Impact on Pakistan Cricket Standards
He said the task force was then told by the then board chairman Ehsan Mani to do as Imran wanted. "We changed the domestic structure making it provincial cricket and leaving out departments but I personally feel it was a wrong decision and it led to a downslide in our cricket standards," Haroon feels.
Haroon said India's meteoric rise in world cricket was rooted in their domestic cricket. "People talk about the IPL but forget that in India they still have the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazara trophy and their state level associations are independent and have their own regular domestic events at club level.
"In Pakistan now all powers are with the PCB which needs to decentralise power and give more independence to regional associations and departments as was the case in the past."