KARACHI When Ijaz Butt was named last month to succeed Dr Nasim Ashraf as the Pakistan Cricket Board's latest chairman, sweeping changes in the most glamorous sporting organisation in the country was always on the cards.

Ijaz promised to bring in former Test cricketers like himself into the administration to run the much-maligned PCB in a professional manner, on the lines of other cricket boards around the world.

As a result, respected cricketing figures like Saleem Altaf (Chief Operating Officer), Javed Miandad (Director General, cricket affairs) Wasim Bari (Director Human Resources and Administration) and Aamir Sohail (Director of National Cricket Academy) have been assigned key posts in the past few weeks.

Intikhab Alam, meanwhile, took over as the Pakistan coach since Ijaz felt that Geoff Lawson, the former Australian Test speedster who was brought in on a two-year term by the previous PCB regime following the 'mysterious' death of Bob Woolmer during the 2007 World Cup, was 'useless'.

Abdul Qadir, the leg-spin legend of the 1980s, is the latest to join the bandwagon as the new chairman of the national selection committee along with another ex-Test player Mohammad Ilyas who has been appointed as head of the junior selection committee.

Generally, most of these appointments have been hailed by both the game's followers and the critics alike with the feeling that the changes effected by Ijaz would play a significant role in uplifting the image of Pakistan cricket.

However, in between, the wholesale transformation of the PCB administration, one appointment has met with disapproval from those who really want to see Pakistan cricket flourish.

Razaullah Khan, the former manager of National Stadium Karachi (NSK) who was sacked in early 2005 for his alleged involvement in misappropriation of cricket board's funds by the then PCB chief Shaharyar M. Khan, has been appointed as the coordinator of grounds in Sindh with the blessings of the current PCB chairman.

This post, previously unheard of and specifically created to accommodate the 71-year-old Sukkur-born Razaullah, has not only caused panic but a lot of confusion among the cricketing circles.

In a country where dozens of qualified personnel are ready to offer their services for such posts, the PCB chief has dared to oblige his 'close' friend who has yet again shamelessly used his political connections to get himself back in the mainstream of Pakistan cricket.

Razaullah's appointment perceptibly illustrates that the self-created position on part of the PCB chief would invite criticism from everywhere since similar posts have not been announced for Punjab, the NWFP, Balochistan and the Fata region.

Astonishingly, as Razaullah, a former member of PCB Council and General Body since 1967, himself has claimed on numerous occasions that he possesses no educational qualifications to speak of because he is a non-matriculate, the PCB chief obliged him with a two-year contract worth Rs120,000 per month. In addition, Razaullah is also entitled to a few hefty perks which would take care of his joyriding across the length and breadth of the southern province.

It is a common knowledge now that PCB has planned to start a process of downsizing — in the wake of the financial crisis currently faced by the country — because it is overstaffed with reportedly more than 700 employees in its wings.

Wasim Bari, who has served PIA on different posts with sincerity for 40 years until he retired in March 2008 as the national carrier's director of human resources, has been entrusted with the onerous task of trimming the number of PCB workers.

But it seems that Razaullah has already initiated such a process at the NSK. Already, the NSK's lower staff has been threatened of dire consequences by this man who claims that he has been authorised by PCB's top hierarchy to carry out such orders.

What is even more alarming is the fact that Razaullah, who was a mediocre wicket-keeper/batsman in his playing days many years ago (averaging a pathetic 12.80 with the bat in 24 first-class matches for various teams), is currently in the process of organising a local Twenty20 tournament which is named after Benazir Bhutto, the slain two-time former Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Acting as the chief organising secretary of this tournament, Razaullah has engaged the services of Shakeel Shaikh, the president of the Islamabad Cricket Association who is also a member of the PCB Governing Body, as a coordinator for this event.

Surprisingly this tournament, slated to be held in the first week of December, is not being organised by the cricket board despite the fact the PCB Patron-in-Chief is the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of late Benazir Bhutto. Given her stature, it would have been appropriate had the PCB organised such an event involving international teams.

To ensure the financial success of the tournament, Razaullah and company have asked each of the regions to deposit Rs10,000 while each department have been told to pay Rs100,000 as participating fees.

There are questions that need to be answered by the PCB chief regarding this scenario. How come a cricket board employee has been granted permission to organise a private tournament? How could a self-imposed coordinator be allowed to draw a salary equivalent to that of a PCB general manager? How come Razaullah get a 24-month contract when the current PCB rules and regulations do not allow such terms and conditions to be offered to any other official?

The presence of Razaullah in the PCB set-up is one example of how people like him, with a history of ugly controversies behind them, manage to hoodwink a seasoned administrator like Ijaz Butt and abuse their powers to spoil the gentleman's game.