Syed Mohsin Naqvi succeeds former captain as the full-time chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Lahore: Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi has been appointed as a full-time chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a three-year term on Tuesday. Naqvi was elected unanimously in an election that was held at a special meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. He thus becomes the first full-time PCB chairman after former skipper Ramiz Raja, who was sacked one year into his tenure due to political interference, just after the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to have been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board,” Naqvi was quoted saying in the PCB website. “I am thankful for the trust and confidence reposed in me. I am fully committed to upgrading the standard of the game in the country and bringing professionalism in the administration of cricket in Pakistan.”
A media baron, the 45-year-old Naqvi is presently serving as the incumbent caretaker Chief Minister of the State of Punjab. Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf then held the post as interim chiefs with the latter stepping down in January this year.
Naqbi has a tough job in his hand with the Pakistan senior team going through its lowest ebb following the ODI World Cup debacle in India last year. After failing to enter the semis of the marquee event, Babar Azam quit as Pakistan skipper. Shan Masood was later appointed as their Test skipper, while pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi took over that role in white-ball formats.
But their fortune is yet to see a progressive curve as Pakistan endured a 0-3 whitewash in the Test series in Australia and lost to New Zealand 1-4 in a T20I series. Currently the Pakistan players are playing franchise T20 leagues around the world.
West Indies, who are currently in Australia, will be visiting Pakistan later this month for two Tests and three T20Is. Pakistan will tour Netherlands and Ireland in May before heading to USA and West Indies for the T20 World Cup next month.
The Men in Green have been grouped alongside India, Ireland, Canada and United States in Group A. The much-awaited India vs Pakistan clash will be played on June 9 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, East Meadow in New York.