Within four days of sacking head coach Micky Arthur and three other junior coaches by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), now there is another major development that the federal cabinet has approved a new constitution of the Board, which puts more focus on regional cricket and restructuring the domestic circuit. The major changes to the PCB are coming to the fore only after the team’s shocking defeats at the hands of strong and weak teams alike in the recent ICC World Cup in England. Prime Minister Imran Khan, also a celebrity veteran of the game, approved the restructuring of domestic cricket set-up. The bold decision of not extending the contracts of coaches — Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Azhar Mahmood and Grant Luden – is being widely hailed. The decision is well-thought out and came from a committee which was set up to examine coaches’ roles after the World Cup. Apart from the team’s unpredictable performance, coaches also failed to impress the nation because of their inability to lift the squad’s morale. This triggered a debate about the boys’ mental strength, work ethics and discipline, besides enforcing merit in the selection of players. The basic problem, however, has to do with the structure of sports. For over 40 years, the cricket setup has been standing on shaky foundations without focusing on the promotion of regional cricket. The new constitution assures more attention towards the domestic structure. Also, special focus will be on blind and women cricket. Under the new arrangements, six regional teams will figure on the domestic circuit – two teams from Punjab, and one each from Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal Areas. From Under-16 to first-class cricket, six teams will be representing their respective provinces. The earlier domestic cricket set-up had 16 regional bodies. Often the Board graces headlines because of tugs of war among its officials. According to the new constitution, the powers of chairman and chief executive have been separated. The new constitution has the blessings of the Board of Governors. The most challenging task for PCB, however, is to restore international cricket in Pakistan, the lack of which has badly hurt the growth of competitive cricket at home. News that the Sri Lankan team has assured visiting Pakistan is a welcome development in this context. *