Mani to be made PCB chairman; Sethi quits

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to appoint Ehsan Mani as the new chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), following the resignation of Najam Sethi, sources informed Geo News on Monday.

The PM had a brief conversation with Mani over cricket affairs after taking oath, sources said. The premier had given a green signal over Mani’s appointment. In the first phase, Mani would be inducted in the PCB Board of Governors before being given the formal charge of the chairmanship, the sources added.

Zakir Khan, PM Imran’s close aide, has been assigned the task of taking the PCB Board of Governors in confidence over Mani’s appointment as the PCB chairman. Mani, hailing from Rawalpindi, became the PCB’s representative to the ICC back in 1989. He played a key role in the organisation of the 1996 World Cup, and has also served on the Asian Cricket Council.

Earlier, Najam Sethi said he had resigned as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board after holding the office for four years.

“I was waiting for the new prime minister to take oath before submitting my resignation as the PCB chairman, which I have done today. “I wish the PCB all the best and hope our cricket team goes from strength to strength. “Eid Mubarak. Pakistan Zindabad,” Sethi tweeted along with a copy of his resignation.

In his resignation to the PM, Sethi wrote: “I was nominated to the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Cricket Board (as per the Pakistan Cricket Board Constitution of 2014 approved by the ICC and Supreme Court of Pakistan) by ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif from 2014 to 2017 and then again from 2017 to 2020 by ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

“I was unanimously elected chairman PCB in August 2017 by all 10 members of the BoG for a three-year term, ending in 2020. I believe I have served the cause of cricket diligently. “In order to facilitate your objectives in the interest of Pakistan cricket, I hereby submit my resignation as chairman of PCB and Member of its BoG,” Sethi concluded.