Cricket is more than just a sport in Pakistan; it is a passion, a unifier, and in many ways, a national identity. From the streets to the stadiums, cricket has always been the heartbeat of the nation. However, while the game enjoys unmatched popularity, the institution responsible for safeguarding and nurturing it, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), continues to fail the country.
The PCB remains burdened by political patronage and structural flaws. At the core of this dysfunction lies its Constitution. Under Paragraph 4(i) of the 2014 Constitution, “the objects, powers and functions of the Board shall be to…promote, develop, supervise and maintain general control on all forms of domestic and international cricket.” In principle, this grants the Board the authority to build systems that strengthen the game at every level. In practice, however, the PCB is structured in a way that centralises all power in the hands of one individual, the Chairman, appointed by the Prime Minister, never on merit but always on political loyalty.
Every time Pakistan’s players walk onto the field, they carry the hopes of 250 million people.
The Chairman not only controls the Board but also handpicks the Board of Governors, again favouring political allegiance over cricketing or managerial knowledge. In any healthy organisation, the Chairman’s role is representative, while day-to-day affairs are run by a professional CEO. But in PCB, no effective CEO exists. The Chairman is all-in-all, running operations, appointing executives, and shaping policies at will. Even the Chief Operating Officer is selected not for competence or cricketing insight, but for loyalty to the Chairman. From the COO to the CFO, from advisors to the BOG members, appointments are rarely made on the basis of qualifications or expertise. The result is a boardroom filled with loyalists whose main function is to endorse the Chairman’s decisions.
The consequences are clear on the field. In 2024, Pakistan lost 17 T20 internationals, the most defeats in a single year. Overall, the team stands at roughly 159 wins against 109 losses. In ODIs, Pakistan’s career record is 519 wins and 430 defeats out of 979 matches, with recent years marked by inconsistency against top sides. Test cricket tells an even more troubling story: while the long-term record is nearly balanced at 150 wins versus 146 losses, the recent era has been bleak. Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-0, England claimed a 2-1 series win, and at one point, the team endured six consecutive Test defeats. Governance alone does not decide matches, but poor structures and political interference inevitably undermine preparation, strategy, and performance.
Cricket in Pakistan survives because of the sheer talent of its players and the unwavering passion of its fans, but it is crippled by mismanagement at the institutional level. If Pakistan is to reclaim its rightful place in world cricket, the PCB Constitution needs urgent reform. The Chairman’s powers must be curtailed and confined to oversight and representation, not day-to-day management. An independent Chief Executive Officer with proven leadership skills should be appointed by the Board with a fixed tenure and clear qualifications to run the organisation.
The Board of Governors should include individuals with either cricketing experience or strong management expertise, people who understand both the game and organisational governance. Key committees, such as finance, audit, selection, and ethics, must be written into the Constitution, with independence guaranteed. A share of revenue should be allocated for grassroots development, academies, women’s cricket, and regional infrastructure. Sponsorship and broadcasting rights must be transparent, audited, and publicly disclosed. Term limits, conflict-of-interest declarations, and published annual reports should become mandatory, bringing PCB in line with international best practices. Above all, bureaucrats and politicians must keep their hands off cricket.
Every time Pakistan’s players walk onto the field, they carry the hopes of 250 million people. Cricket belongs to the people of Pakistan, not to political elites and bureaucrats who use it as a tool of influence. It is time the PCB began serving the game rather than power. Without structural reform, cricket in Pakistan will continue to thrive in passion but decline in performance, a tragedy for a nation that deserves far better.
The writer is a former State Minister for Education and Professional Training, former Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and Director at Media Times.