Najam Sethi pulls out of race to become next Pakistan Cricket Board chairman

Interim PCB chairman Najam Sethi has pulled out to become next full-time PCB chairman.

Pakistan Cricket Board interim chairman Najam Sethi has opted out of the race to become the next PCB chairman. PCB chairman has put out a tweet saying he doesn’t want to become a ‘bone of contention’ between Pakistan People's Party Chief Asif Ali Zardari and current Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Najam Sethi has come out of the race after Zaka Ashraf’s name came up as the new PCB chief in a few media reports. Najam Sethi’s tweet came just a day before the announcement of the full-time chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Najam Sethi took over as interim chairman after a regime change in Pakistan that ousted Ramiz Raja from the position. 

Najam Sethi opts out of the race

The interim chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board Najam Sethi tweeted, “Salam everyone! I don’t want to be the bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances, I am not a candidate for the Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders”. Najam Sethi announced his way out of contention only after Zaka Ashrasf’s name came in contention for the chairmanship. Zaka served as PCB chairman from 2011 to 2013. His tenure ended on a controversial note as he was suspended by the Islamabad High Court in 2013, later he was reappointed by the same court in 2014 as chairman of the PCB. 

Najam Sethi’s tweet indicated that there was a rift between the ruling coalition in Pakistan for the Pakistan Cricket Board chairmanship. The PPP is pushing for Zaka Ashraf while Shehbaz Sharif’s PML(N) is batting for giving Najam Sethi an extended run after serving as interim chairperson. Cricket has come back to Pakistan and many international teams have travelled to Pakistan for bilateral series. They will be hosting the Asia Cup in a Hybrid model with Sri Lanka in August-September. The current ongoing situation may have huge implications for the PCB as a board.