Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan (PTI Photo)

Former Pakistan chief selector and head coach Haroon Rasheed believes the decline of Pakistan cricket can be traced back to the sweeping domestic-structure changes introduced during Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister, claiming the former Pakistan captain rejected a proposed hybrid model in favour of drastically reducing the number of first-class teams.Haroon, who was part of a task force formed to examine Pakistan’s domestic structure during Imran’s time in office, recalled that the group had proposed retaining departmental teams alongside a streamlined provincial system. But according to him, Imran was unwilling to accept the plan.“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, Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning captain, became Prime Minister in 2018 after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won the general elections. He remained in office until being voted out in 2022.

‘You have to listen to the Prime Minister’

Pakistan’s first-class structure was subsequently reduced from a system involving 10-16 teams to just five teams, with the revamp modelled partly on Australia’s domestic system. Departmental cricket was also removed as provincial cricket became the central structure.Haroon said the task force had initially recommended a compromise.“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,” he said.“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.”However, Haroon said Imran wanted an even more radical reduction.“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.”Haroon, who held several positions at the PCB before leaving in 2020, including chief selector, head coach and head of high performance and development, said the change ultimately hurt the depth of Pakistan cricket.“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,” he said.

India’s domestic model cited as the alternative

Haroon contrasted Pakistan’s approach with India’s domestic system, arguing that the depth created by multiple competitions has played an important role in India’s rise.“People talk about the IPL but forget that in India they still have the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and their state level associations are independent and have their own regular domestic events at club level,” he said.Haroon believes Pakistan now needs to reverse the centralisation of its cricket administration.“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.”His comments come amid continuing debate over the state of Pakistan cricket, with former players and officials increasingly questioning the country’s domestic pathway and administration.