Daily Times

LAHORE: The members of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Thursday passed a resolution for Pride of Performance award for PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi for his ‘significant contribution’ in Pakistan cricket especially staging of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) II final in Lahore. The AGM also unanimously resolved to elect Sethi as the new PCB chairman once Shaharyar Khan’s term ends in August. With stakeholders from all over the country in attendance, the AGM 2017 was held here at a local hotel. Top officials of the PCB attended the meeting. Shaharyar briefed the general house members about the Board’s working and achievements in the last one year. He said that efforts were being made to bring international cricket back to Pakistan and the staging of the PSL final in Lahore was a big success. The PCB chief in his address to the AGM also thanked all members for their support in organising the Abdul Hafez Kardar School Cricket Championship and Fazal Mahmood Club Cricket Championship across the country. He emphasized on the need of developing new cricket academies around the country. He also took the members into confidence on bilateral cricket series with India as well as Board’s legal initiatives on the MoU signed between the two boards.

Sethi informed the AGM that the PSL management was aiming to hold eight matches of PSL’s third edition in Pakistan (four each in Lahore and Karachi.) He further added that as many as 30 national and international parties had shown their interest to buy sixth franchise. Sethi pledged to bring international cricket back in Pakistan and added that the Board would look into the participants’ grievances and try to solve the issues raised at the AGM at the earliest. The AGM appreciated Shaharyar’s services for Pakistan cricket. The members gave a standing ovation to the PCB chief who presided over the meeting for the last time as his three-year term ends in August this year. Having met the stringent PCB criteria, in accordance with constitution’s Article 20, the AGM also recommended affiliation and playing rights to Pakpattan and Chaggi Districts. All members were given an opportunity to dilate upon their views, suggestions and proposals and air their grievances.

At the end, PCB annual domestic awards were given to the following for their outstanding performance during the domestic season 2016-17: best player of the year (blind) Badar Munir with cash prize Rs. 300,000, best player of the year (deaf and dumb) Zaka Ahmed Qureshi with cash prize Rs.300,000, best player of the year (disabled) Maj (r) Hasnain Alam with cash prize Rs.300,000, best woman player of the year Asmavia Iqbal with cash prize of Rs 300,000, outstanding player of domestic season 2016-2017 Muhammad Abbas with cash prize Rs. 300,000, best umpire of the year Shozab Raza with cash prize Rs. 200,000, best match referee of the year Muhammad Anees with cash prize Rs.200, 000, best scorer of the year Najamus Saeed with case prize Rs.100,000, best curator of the year Niamat Ali with cash prize Rs. 100,000 and best coach of domestic cricket season 2016-2017 Azam Khan with cash prize Rs.100,000.