Former captain and chief selector Aamir Sohail has suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board should launch its own Pro-40 tournament with the match split into two innings of 20 overs each.
“Thrills and skills will be the selling points of such an event,” Sohail said on a television channel. Although Sachin Tendulkar had sometime back called for the 50-over ODIs to be split into four innings of 25 overs each, this is the first time someone has proposed a 40 over game split into two innings of 20 overs each.
Sohail said there was a feeling in the cricket fraternity that T20 cricket was at times devoid of skills and focused on only providing entertainment to the viewers.
“I think if we can launch a Pro-40 event in Pakistan with two innings of 20 overs for one side it would provide both things. It will require skills and also produce plenty of thrills,” he said.
Sohail said PCB needs to look at fresh ideas to rejuvenate domestic cricket and even otherwise since the country had been deprived of international cricket for three years now. Sohail pointed out that Pakistan in the past had always been in the forefront of tabling revolutionary ideas in international cricket.
“Pakistan played a lead role in turning the World Cup into a commercial powerhouse and also introduced the concept of neutral umpires. Our domestic cricket format was once studied and admired by other countries as well,” he noted. Former captain, Rashid Latif conceded that fresh ideas and concepts were required in Pakistan cricket since there was too much attention on T20 cricket now.
“In our domestic events while people flock to see the T20 events there is hardly any interest in the one-day or first class matches. Something radical should be done to involve the people in other cricket besides T20 matches,” he said. The PCB has been trying to launch its own premier league T20 competition and officials say three more presentations from companies are scheduled for next week.