Zaka Ashraf appreciates PCB performance

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board is a more efficient, better motivated and hardworking organization and as a consequence, there is visible all-round improvement in performance of the Board” said the PCB Chairman Ch. Zaka Ashraf while talking to the PCB employees Thursday evening at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

All PCB staff including the directors, general managers, managers, marketing, accounts, media and security personnel, curators, groundsmen, electricians and tea boys, all were present in the meeting in the meeting in which all the Directors, the Chief Operating Officer and the Chairman shared their views on the performance of the PCB.

The meeting was basically meant to recognize the services of its lower grade employees who had played such a great role in the success of the recent Faysal Bank Super 8 Twenty20 2013 through a cash incentive. At receiving the cash award, the lower grade staff was overjoyed and raised slogans.

The PCB Chairman told the meeting that owing to improvement in overall discipline, hard work, commitment and motivation the Board now has Rs300 million more in its coffers than at the time he had taken over.

“In any organization, leadership is of paramount importance. Over the last one year and a half under the present Chairman had been noteworthy, He lead from the front and we supported him as a team. The Board is now efficient and better organized, NCA is in the process of technical upgradation and shall be far better equipped once our biomechanics labs become operational and Pro-batter and Pitch Vision equipment is installed, the requirements of Pakistan cricket teams (at all tiers: senior, junior, age-group, women’s, blind and deaf) were being catered to in a far better manner. For the first time in our cricketing history, PCB also held its annual awards for the year 2012.

“There have been other important happenings too: the series with India was revived, Benazir Shaheed women’s national tournament was launched, the land for Islamabad Stadium acquired and the Garhi Khuda Bux Stadium inaugurated and the British Universities and Afghanistan teams visited us. Above all, due to the improved financial control and financial management, the PCB has been able to show Rs300 million more in the kitty”, the PCB COO Mr. Subhan Ahmad said.

The Director, Domestic Cricket, Zakir Khan said, “under the present management domestic cricket has been closely focused upon, and that’s why new events have been added, the existing events have been improved in terms of competitiveness and financial management, and crowd participation has enhanced.”

The Director, International Cricket, former captain Intikhab Alam said, “Pakistan cricket has in the last 18 months won quite a few laudable victories. The performance across all three formats has been so good that the team was winning the matches despite playing all its series with having home advantage.” He further said, “When the Chairman visited England’s Academy, he instructed us to install state of the art new technologies like biomechanics lab, Pro-Batter and Pitch Vision for better skill management. After all these technologies installed the NCA would become one of the best facilities in the world.

The Director Coordination, Brig. Sajid Hameed said, “dedication level of the staff was exemplary. The Director Security, Ehsan Sadiq said, “the PCB tried its utmost to ensure that the domestic T20 had watertight security and we tried to ensure that international level security is provided during the tournament.. The CFO Badar M. Khan said, “the financial management of the Board has been made better which is resulting into increased incomes and reduced expenditures. ”

The security and vigilance team was also lauded for incident-free T20 events which drew large audiences.

This was the first such formal meeting of the entire and the Chairman spoke candidly: “When I took over, I was advised to install a new team in the PCB. I discarded that advice, as because of my corporate background I know how organizations work better. I believe in making people perform to their optimum ability. And everyone can see that the same group of people have accomplished far better than before. In future too, the PCB’s orientation would remain towards performance: those who do well shall always be recognized and given incentives, and those who do not measure up will have to leave.

“Here I really admire those who worked so hard in making the Faysal Bank sponsored Twenty20 event such a huge success. The lower staff and the groundsmen who worked long hours deserve recognition. As such, as a token of our appreciation, I am giving them a special incentive”, said the PCB Chairman.

The Chairman also announced one month’s salary as ex-gratia bonus – the first in four years – for the entire PCB staff. “I am happy to announce this bonus because I believe that every employee of the Board has lifted up his or her performance and the motivation level among the employees has been increased which is making the entire organization look better”.

At the conclusion, cheques were distributed amongst the PCB employees by Ch. Zaka Ashraf, the COO Mr. Subhan Ahmad and PCB directors.