Zaka Ashraf is set to be named as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board after Najam Sethi officially resigned from his position as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and withdrew himself from the race to become the next board chairman. Sethi had been leading an interim management committee that had been overseeing the board's affairs since last December. The tenure of this interim committee was scheduled to end on June 21.
Initially, it appeared that Sethi would continue his role as chairman once the interim setup concluded. However, there has been increasing speculation in recent weeks about the potential return of Zaka Ashraf, a former board chairman.
"Salaam everyone! 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."
Brief but challenging tenure
In a recent statement, Pakistan Federal Minister Ehsan Mazari announced that Zaka Ashraf would assume the role of the next chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Mazari clarified that Najam Sethi was initially appointed for a four-month period to oversee the PCB chairman elections, and his term is scheduled to conclude on June 21.
Najam Sethi's decision to step down as interim chairman carries significant implications for the PCB. Since December 2022, Sethi has served as the interim chairman, taking on the responsibility after the former chairman, Ramiz Raja, resigned due to a disagreement with the Board of Governors (BoG) regarding the future of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
During Najam Sethi's relatively brief tenure as interim chairman of the PCB, he faced a challenging issue regarding Pakistan's hosting of the Asia Cup and its implications for the country's potential participation in the upcoming World Cup. The World Cup is scheduled to take place in India in October of this year. Just three days ago, Sethi expressed that Pakistan's involvement in the tournament would depend on the approval of the Pakistani government. This matter will undoubtedly be one of the top priorities for Sethi's successor to address and resolve.
