Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi has pointed fingers at former Prime Minister Imran Khan for Pakistan cricket’s decline. In a post on X, Sethi, who led the PCB from December 2022 to June 2023, expressed that the nation is rightfully frustrated with the national team’s poor performance, particularly after their back-to-back defeats that resulted in an early exit from the Champions Trophy.
Highlighting Pakistan’s past successes, Sethi questioned the team’s current state:
“The cricket fraternity says Pakistan has hit rock bottom. How come a cricket team that was once no 1 in T20s (2018) and Tests (2016) and ODIs (1990 and 1996), which won the WC in 1992 and CT in 2017, is today equated with Zimbabwe?”
According to Sethi, the downfall began in 2019 when a new management, under the then-new PM and PCB Patron, altered a long-standing domestic cricket structure. Imran Khan, after taking office as Prime Minister, appointed Ehsan Mani as PCB chairman. Following this, the PCB overhauled domestic cricket, shifting away from the traditional system that had been in place for decades and implementing a new six-team first-class structure modeled after Australia’s system.
This restructuring, Sethi argues, was the starting point of Pakistan cricket’s decline. He further criticized the ongoing political interference and inconsistent PCB policies:
“Political interference continued; contradictory PCB policies became the norm—foreign coaches were hired and sent packing, selectors were whimsically nominated, old discards were recruited to mentor and manage.”
Adding to the internal chaos, he pointed out the impact of mismanagement and internal team conflicts:
“Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling management! The horrible result is before us.”
Sethi believes Pakistan can regain its cricketing stature, but only if stakeholders acknowledge the core issues and bring in professionals with the required integrity, experience, and knowledge.
His exit from the PCB came soon after Imran Khan assumed office, paving the way for Mani’s appointment. Later, in 2021, Imran also appointed Ramiz Raja as chairman when Mani opted out of an extension. After Imran’s government fell in 2022, Sethi returned to head the PCB, replacing Ramiz in December of that year.
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Photo Credit: Twitter Profile Photo of @NajamSethi
