Najam Sethi, the Chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is nearing the end of his tenure and is facing competition from his old rival and former board chairman, Zaka Ashraf. According to reports on ESPN Cricinfo, Sethi recently met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, to discuss the progress of the PCB during his time in charge. Meanwhile, Ashraf held a meeting with the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari, confirming his nomination to lead the PCB.
Both Sethi and Ashraf have a history of political involvement and previously engaged in a legal battle for the PCB position in 2013 and 2014. Mazari stated that when the current government was formed, it was agreed that parties within the alliance holding relevant ministries would have a say in appointing individuals for respective positions. Since the IPC is with the PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party), they are nominating their candidate for the PCB role. Mazari also argued that Sethi’s nomination for a full term is a conflict of interest, as he is heading the management committee responsible for conducting the elections, but is also part of the election process itself.
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Sethi took over as PCB Chairman after Ramiz Raja was removed from the position last year. Additionally, the PCB’s 2019 constitution was discarded, and Sethi’s committee was given a mandate to bring back the 2014 version of the PCB constitution, reinstate the regional and services structure in domestic cricket, establish a board of governors, and elect a chairman. During the past four months, Sethi has been actively involved in recruiting international coaches for the Pakistan cricket team, starting with the appointment of Mickey Arthur as the team’s part-time director.