Daily Times

LAHORE: It’s only been two weeks since a four-member cricket committee came into being to oversee Pakistan’s cricket affairs, and though they may not have begun their work properly just yet, they’ve been in the news every single day. That is almost entirely down to Mohsin Khan, the head of committee, who’s made a number of public statements that have put the PCB in an awkward position and have raised tensions with other stakeholders. This, it seems, has compelled the PCB to start rethinking its decision to appoint him, and it has reportedly placed a gag order on his public comments. The PCB has refused to confirm or deny whether it has asked him to stop talking so publicly. “My statements are wrongly being taken and few people who are against my appointment are doing propaganda,” Mohsin said. “I am here to serve my country and I have had never a discipline issue ever in my entire career. I don’t want to go into details and want to ignore all the negative stuff. I am directly reportable to chairman and he is perfectly fine with me.”

Mohsin has riled up coach Mickey Arthur as well as captain Sarfraz Ahmed in his short tenure so far. In comments made just before his appointment, Mohsin called Arthur a “stupid donkey” on a TV channel. Soon after he argued that Sarfraz should be relieved of the Test captaincy. All that came after his very appointment had forced the PCB into an apparent disowning of the Qayyum Report on match-fixing — something it was then keen to insist was not the case. Arthur is understood to want an apology from Mohsin – the pair, according to the terms of the committee, officially meet three times a year – though the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani has said only that all parties should move on from the matter. Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq is also thought to be annoyed by Mohsin’s public comments on selection matters. He has reached out and sought clarity from the board about the committee’s role and suggested that he will not be happy with any intervention in selection affairs. Mohsin’s role and behaviour has been discussed among senior board officials, discussions that have also brought up names of who could replace him should he continue as he has done. All of Mohsin’s comments have been made to TV channels, a few of them to Hum News to whom he is contracted as an expert for this home season. It is not clear what officials think of his TV commitments though, as his PCB role is honorary, it is unlikely they can get him to stop them.

Published in Daily Times, November  9^th 2018.