Mohsin facing the axe?

KARACHI: Mohsin Khan is in clear and present danger of getting replaced as chairman of PCB’s newly-formed cricket committee but the former Pakistan Test cricketer doesn’t believe he has played any role in the prevailing uncertainty about his position.

According to sources, top PCB officials are seriously considering the idea of bringing in a new head of the cricket committee after a series of comments made by Mohsin created major issues for the board in recent days.

However, Mohsin, who was handpicked by PCB chairman to head the Board’s cricket committee, has made it clear that it’s just propaganda by elements, who are unhappy over his appointment.

“My statements are wrongly being taken and few people who are against my appointment are doing propaganda,” Mohsin was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. “I am here to serve my country and I have had never a discipline issue ever in my entire career. I don’t want to go into details and want to ignore all the negative stuff. I am directly reportable to chairman and he is perfectly fine with me.”

Mohsin believes that he Mani’s support but there is a big possibility that the Board might opt to axe him as head of the four-member cricket committee, which was formed last month.

Mohsin has riled up coach Mickey Arthur as well as captain Sarfraz Ahmed in his short tenure so far. In comments made just before his appointment, Mohsin called Arthur a “stupid donkey” on a TV channel. Soon after he argued that Sarfraz should be relieved of the Test captaincy.

All that came after his very appointment had forced the PCB into an apparent disowning of the Qayyum Report on match-fixing - something it was then keen to insist was not the case. Arthur is understood to want an apology from Mohsin - the pair, according to the terms of the committee, officially meet three times a year - though Mani has said only that all parties should move on from the matter.

Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq is also thought to be annoyed by Mohsin’s public comments on selection matters. He has reached out and sought clarity from the board about the committee’s role and suggested that he will not be happy with any intervention in selection affairs.

All of Mohsin’s comments have been made to TV channels, a few of them to a private channel to whom he is contracted as an expert for this home season. It is not clear what officials think of his TV commitments though, as his PCB role is honorary, it is unlikely they can get him to stop them. —with inputs from agencies