Imran slams Pakistan's domestic structure

Imran Khan has strongly criticised the way in which Pakistan's domestic cricket is structured. Speaking to the Pakistan newspaper, Dawn, he said that departmental cricket, played between corporates, was ineffective in spotting and nurturing talent.

"Departmental cricket is a joke," he said. "I have never seen this type of cricket anywhere in the world." The PCB did not have the will to change the system, he said. "I have contacted the PCB authorities on retaining the departmental teams, [and] they assured me that it will be removed from next year. Who can say [whether] they will stay in the PCB till next year? This is Pakistan where things change overnight."

Imran was also acerbic about the fact that trial camps had to be held for selection purposes. "I [don't know of] a single example of trials held for the selection of a team anywhere in the world," he said. He added that had he stayed in Pakistan instead of honing his talents in England, he too could have been lost on the wayside.

He said that regional cricket was essential to generate interest in domestic cricket. No one felt any loyalty for the departmental teams, he said, while regional teams would whip up passions among people from resepctive regions, and would inspire young cricketers.

He also commented on the frequency with which the PCB changed the names of their first-class tournaments, and said that often, one did not even know which trophy was being played for. He said that Pakistan was full of talent, much as West Indies had once been, but it was getting lost because of lack of planning.