Daily Times

LAHORE: In the next two weeks, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will have its new Chairman. The heat is on!. The battle royale between former PCB Chairmen — Najam Aziz Sethi and Muhammad Zaka Ashraf — is in full swing, once again. Both are trying their level best to get hold of that coveted crown which has more limelight and magnetic attraction than the offices of President, Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff combined in the country. Sethi is supported by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, Head of Muslim League (N), while Zaka has support of Pakistan Peoples’ Party Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

In the last week of December last year, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appointee Ramiz Raja was sacked by the federal government. His removal from the post was formally initiated by Shahbaz Sharif who is also PCB’ patron. The sacking of Ramiz was imminent because of his arrogance and behaviour, and with his patron Imran Khan no more at the Prime Minister House. Ramiz should have quit his post as the Chairman once Imran had been ousted. Many Chairmen in the past had left the post with the ouster of the patron who had appointed them and Ramiz should’ve followed suit. But he wanted to complete his three-year tenure at all costs, which was not possible due to a changed political scenario. The writing on the wall was very loud and clear. But Ramiz, who started to consider himself as indispensable, failed to listen or read it and was ultimately shown the door in an ungraceful manner.

A 14-member management committee, headed by Sethi, took interim charge of affairs in December 2022. The committee was given 120 days to change the PCB’s constitution, bringing back the 2014 version to replace the current one, which was put in place in 2019. Over the last four months, Sethi has been instrumental in hiring a predominantly overseas coaching staff for Pakistan, with Mickey Arthur as part time director of cricket. Sethi’s committee was then given a two-month extension to complete its tasks and that extension will end on June 22. Its biggest undertaking was to conduct elections across all of Pakistan’s provinces. It required the PCB to form a Board of Governors comprising ten members: four out of the 16 regional representatives, four representatives of services organisations, and two members directly nominated by the PCB patron, The term of each member of the BoG is three years — equivalent to one term of the chairman.

The committee wasn’t far from completing the process but ran into legal trouble after several regional clubs lodged complaints that questioned the fairness of the election process. Three members of the management committee — Tanvir Ahmed, who has been elected president of Larkana region; Gul Zada, from Peshawar region; and Shakil Sheikh, who is in the running in Islamabad — working from the PCB headquarters are at the centre of the issue. Once the board is formed, the Prime Minister will use his discretion to nominate two names, of which one will become PCB Chairman through an electoral process within the board.

Notably, both Sethi and Zaka are seasoned administrators. Sethi was head of the PCB in one capacity or another from 2013 until 2018, though the stint was initially embroiled in legal battles with his predecessor Zaka. Under Zaka, Pakistan cricket saw many positives outcomes on and off the field. Sethi resigned once Imran Khan became Prime Minister in August 2018. As the Chairman of the PCB, he oversaw the birth of the Pakistan Super League and was in charge when the very first visits by international sides were made to Pakistan, ending a period of isolation that began after the 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore.

Both Sethi and Zaka are playing their cards very carefully to take over the reins of the PCB. Sethi is in contact with PM Shahbaz while Zaka had a meeting with Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari, who acts as a conduit between the PCB and the federal government. With the IPC being the ministry that deals with sports in Pakistan, Mazari said Zaka would be nominated to head the PCB. “When this coalition government was formed, it was decided that parties in the alliance who have respective ministries will have a say in naming the man for the respective job,” Mazari had said last week. “Hence, IPC is with PPP, so we will have our man in the PCB. Also, Sethi’s nomination for the full term is a conflict of interest as he is heading the management committee tasked to carry out elections but they are becoming a part of the process and getting them elected,” he added.

As a former PCB Chairman, Zaka knows how the board functions. He is also Sethi’s former opponent, which heightens the excitement. It will be fascinating to watch if Zaka takes over. Will he stick with Sethi’s plan for the PCB, or will he introduce his ideas? What the future holds for Pakistan cricket is still being determined. The Prime Minister’s selection of the PCB Chairman once the board has been established will significantly impact the organisation’s future. The Chairman greatly impacts the team’s choice, the draughting process, and the overall strategy because of their extensive network and experience. Having a Chairman who can educate the organisation on new topics and guide it to greater heights is crucial. To ensure that the PCB is managed by someone who can advance the organisation, the Prime Minister’s judgement in selecting from two choices for the coveted position is crucial. It is hoped that an ideal candidate is chosen to head the PCB.