In another blow to local cricket economy, Ramzan tournaments unlikely to be staged this year

Already cash-strapped due to the end of departmental cricket in the country, local cricketers are set to be dealt another crippling financial blow as the annual Ramzan cricket tournaments—a staple of Pakistan’s regional cricket calendar—are unlikely to be staged this year due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

While night matches take place all over the country during the holy month of Ramzan, around two dozen such tournaments are staged at a competitive level involving sponsors.

These tournaments, which are staged after taraweeh prayers and conclude before Sehri, also feature national players such as Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Anwar Ali, Fawad Alam and even former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.

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The events, as per a conservative estimate, end up netting national cricketers between Rs300,000 and Rs500,000 while lesser-known first-class cricketers stand to pocket between Rs50,000 and Rs150,000.

This added income is colloquially dubbed “Eidi” – a monetary gift before the festival of Eid.

However, with Covid-19 having already ravaged the international and national calendars, has not set its sights on regional events too.

“We have not even started preparing for the tournament yet. It looks unlikely that we’d be able to hold the event this year. It is why we have not approached the PCB for sponsors or NoC. Besides, their officers are closed,” sad former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, who runs his namesake academy in Karachi and hosts a corporate T20 tournament each year.

Omar Associates’ Azam Khan said that while their team usually gets invitations two months in advance of Ramzan, this year nothing has happened yet. “It looks as if there won’t be any Ramzan tournaments this year. If things look up later then maybe Naya Nazimabad and Karachi Gymkhana organisers might hold tournaments without sponsors but even chances of that are slim to none.”

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