Misbah, Latif and Hafeez clash over plans for domestic season

Lahore: Misbah-ul-Haq, the head of the cricket committee in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and former captains Rashid Latif and Mohammad Hafeez could not reach consensus over plans for the upcoming domestic season, the sources privy to the development said on Monday.

The differences took place during a significant meeting chaired by PCB Cricket Committee Head Misbah-ul-Haq in Lahore.

The upcoming domestic cricket season is scheduled to due on September 1, starting with the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Simultaneously, the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament is expected to kick off on September 6. The initial plan is to have eight regions and an equal number of departments participating in the season.

Board's COO Salman Naseer, and Junaid Zia, the director of domestic cricket were also present there in the meeting.

The main agenda of the meeting revolved around discussions and plans for the upcoming domestic cricket season, ensuring adherence to the 2014 constitution. However, as the meeting progressed, differences emerged among the three former captains, particularly regarding the inclusion of regional teams and the type of cricket balls to be used.

According to the sources, Misbah put forth his support for incorporating eight regions in the upcoming domestic season. In contrast, Mohammad Hafeez and Rashid Latif expressed differing viewpoints. Hafeez suggested that only six regions should participate, while Rashid advocated for a more extensive setup, proposing the inclusion of 16 regions in First-Class cricket, with a special emphasis on the participation of the Sialkot region in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Another contentious point during the meeting was the selection of cricket balls for the domestic season. All three former cricketers expressed reservations about using Duke balls and instead favored the use of Kookaburra balls in domestic cricket. However, Junaid Zia informed them that the Duke balls had already been purchased and were non-returnable, as they were custom-made.