Najam Sethi sends tremors in Pakistan Cricket as he withdraws his name to become full-time PCB Chairman
In a major shakeup in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi stepped down from the role of acting PCB chairman after he withdrew his name to become full chairman of the board. Sethi was so far the head of the interim management committee of PCB since December in 2022 with a tenure only till June 21. Sethi was the man who was expected to take on the role of full-time chairman at the PCB,
Reports are saying that Zaka Ashraf could become PCB chairman although it has not been confirmed as of now. Sethi on the other hand has agreed to drop his name from the role given the current political climate in Pakistan. “I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif,” Sethi tweeted. “Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.” He said in a tweet.
Pakistan have not confirmed their participation for the 2023 World Cup
This tweet underlines the complexities of getting the PCB Chairman’s seat. The PCB chairman is appointed on recommendation by the Prime Minister of the country. In this scenario, it would be someone appointed by Shehbaz Sharif government and his Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) party. Things get interesting if Ashraf is appointed as PCB chairman that he is from Pakistan People’s Party, the coalition partner in the Shehbaz Sharif. PPP is of the opinion that with them being in charge of sports in Pakistan, they have their confidant as the chairman of PCB.
Sethi has had a run of six months in the top post. He brought back Mickey Aurthur as a part time director of cricket for Pakistan. With Sethi at the helm, he oversaw a tough time for the PCB in consideration with the Asia Cup and also ensured that Pakistan host four matches in the Asia Cup and also retain host status for the multilateral tournament. Pakistan are yet to give their go ahead when it comes to participating in the ODI World Cup in India.
