Shah Khawar Appointed as Interim Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board

In recent developments, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) election commissioner Shah Khawar has been appointed interim chairman of the PCB. The announcement comes as Shah Khawar took over as interim chief of the board on Wednesday.

After a disappointing defeat against Australia and New Zealand, Zaka Ashraf resigned as head of the PCB Management Committee. Following his resignation, interim prime minister Anvul Haqqakar appointed Mohsin Naqvi to lead the PCB. Shah Khawar, however, took over at the PCB headquarters in Lahore on Wednesday. The senior lawyer will continue to hold office officially until the next board election. Mohsin Nakhvi will fulfill his duties as a member of the PCB’s governing body.

According to Clause 2 of Article 7 of the PCB Constitution, when the position of Chairman is vacated, all powers are transferred to the Chief Electoral Commissioner. The Commissioner constitutionally concludes the Board’s election process within four weeks and allows the elected Chairman to take office within a week. Elections are expected to take place next month, the first week of February. Khawar is expected to oversee the PCB election, but plans to run for chairman for a three-year term if Mohsin Naqvi is elected.

SEE ALSO:SHAH KHAWAR APPOINTED AS INTERIM CHAIRMAN OF THE PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD

Mohsin will step down from his duties as Chief Minister of the Punjab Uprisor by the general election. Legendary Javed Miandad expressed concern over the volatile state of Pakistani cricket, highlighting the frequent changes in leadership. Miandad stressed that such regular appointments can have a detrimental effect on players’ confidence.

Javed Miandad Concerns: Stability is essential in Pakistani cricket

“I don’t see cricket rule anywhere in the world, as seen in Pakistan, and these affairs are really sad,” Miyandad told the media.

“I don’t think there are any such frequent appointments and changes in the cricket, and this means that we have no continuity in our cricket structure, and most importantly, the players are not gaining confidence.

Pakistan faced challenges last year with little performance in the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup. The team failed to reach the Asia Cup final and finished fifth in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Babar Azam abstained from captaincy of all formats. Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Putik resigned after being reassigned to the National Cricket Academy. Former Pakistan captain Mohammed Hafeez took over as team director and Wahab Reaz as chief of the selection committee.

After losing 3-0 in the Test series against Australia, Pakistan lost 1-4 in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The next goal of the five-match T20 Series Pakistan team in England in May.