By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf resigned on Friday, citing personal reasons, after a turbulent tenure marked by legal battles, administrative changes, and poor on-field results.
Ashraf, who was appointed by former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in July 2023, stepped down 16 days before the end of his extended term, which was due to expire on February 4.
He submitted his resignation to the caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, who is also the patron-in-chief of PCB, shortly after chairing his last meeting of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), which was formed to oversee the board’s affairs amid a leadership crisis.
The IMC approved the financial accounts and finalised the budget for the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the country’s premier Twenty20 tournament, which will start on February 17.
“I have sent my resignation to the patron, citing reasons of having no more time to perform the duty as PCB chairman as I have other assignments,” Ashraf told reporters. “I am grateful to the patron for the trust he placed in me during my tenure and I did my best to perform.”
Ashraf faced several challenges during his stint as the PCB chief, including legal hurdles in holding the board’s elections, delays in approvals from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, and a dismal performance by the national team in international cricket.
He made sweeping changes in the team management, replacing head coach Mickey Arthur and his staff with Mohammad Hafeez as the team director, Grant Bradburn as the head coach and Andrew Puttick as the batting coach.
Ashraf also removed Babar Azam as the captain of all three formats and appointed Shan Masood as the Test skipper and Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 leader. Wahab Riaz replaced Inzamamul Haq as the chief selector.
However, these moves failed to improve the team’s fortunes, as Pakistan suffered humiliating defeats in the World Cup, the Asia Cup, and suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series against Australia, and are trailing 4-0 in the ongoing T20I series in New Zealand.
Media said that the players had lost confidence in Hafeez’s authority and Ashraf’s leadership, leading to a chaotic situation in the dressing room.
Ashraf had previously served as the PCB chairman from 2011 to 2013, but had to resign after the change of government following the general elections.
The PCB, in a press release, praised Ashraf’s achievements, such as increasing the board’s revenue from the International Cricket Council (ICC), hosting a delegation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last year, and securing some victories for the men’s and women’s teams.
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