Shah Khawar named Interim Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board; elections to be held in February
Published - 24 Jan 2024, 02:12 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:25 AM
In a recent development, Shah Khawar, the Election Commissioner of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has been appointed as the acting chairman of the PCB. This announcement was made as Shah Khawar assumed the role of interim chief of the board on Wednesday.
Following the humiliating defeats against Australia and New Zealand, Zaka Ashraf stepped down as the head of the PCB Management Committee. In the wake of his resignation, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar appointed Mohsin Naqvi to lead the PCB.
Mohsin Naqvi To Contest For PCB Chairman Role In Upcoming Elections – Reports
However, Shah Khawar assumed the role at the PCB headquarters in Lahore on Wednesday. The senior lawyer will officially hold the position until the next Board elections. Meanwhile, Mohsin Naqvi will fulfill his responsibilities as a member of the PCB governing body.
According to Clause 2 of Article 7 of the PCB Constitution, when the Chairman position becomes vacant, all powers transfer to the Chief Election Commissioner. The Commissioner is constitutionally obligated to conclude the board election process within four weeks, allowing the elected chairman to assume office within a week.
The elections are anticipated to take place in the next month, likely in the first week of February. Khawar is expected to oversee the PCB elections, while Mohsin Naqvi plans to run for the chairman position for a three-year term if elected. Mohsin will step down from his role as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab by the general elections.
We Don’t Have Continuity In Our Cricket Structure – Javed Miandad
Legendary Javed Miandad expressed concern over the volatile state of Pakistan cricket, highlighting the frequent leadership changes. Miandad emphasized that such frequent appointments have an impact on players’ confidence.
“I have not seen cricket governance anywhere in the world like we see in Pakistan and these state of affairs are really sad,” Miandad told media.
“I don’t think anywhere such frequent appointments and changes in cricket are made and it only means that we don’t have continuity in our cricket structure and more importantly the players don’t gain confidence,” he added.
“Since last year we have had a really bad time in terms of our team’s performances and people who have no knowledge of cricket sit and take decisions which affect the entire structure in the country.”.
Pakistan faced challenges last year, with subpar performances in the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup. The team failed to reach the Asia Cup final and secured fifth place in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Babar Azam stepped down as the captain across all formats.
Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Andrew Puttick resigned after being reassigned to the National Cricket Academy. Former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez took over as the team director, and Wahab Riaz assumed the role of head of the selection committee.
Pakistan suffered a 1-4 loss in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, following a 3-0 defeat in the Test series against Australia. The Pakistan team’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series in England in May.
