LAHORE: Almost all top-level officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board, particularly those who are drawing hefty salaries, have been conveyed the message by high authorities that the PCB cannot afford huge remunerations, and the Board in this regard has given them time to decide about their future with the organisation.

“The message has been conveyed to all [officials] that the PCB cannot afford such perks which run into millions. Therefore, they have to take a decision on their own,” sources further said.

Some top officials will also be shown the door for their poor performances, as many changes are expected in a few days as a result of the change of guard at the top level in the PCB as Najam Sethi, the head of the interim Manag­ement Committee, replaced Ramiz Raja as chairman.

As a long held tradition, whenever PCB chairman is changed a new-look administration is introduced.

Only previous PCB chief Ramiz, who was nominated for the said post by then prime minister Imran Khan, did not make significant changes in the administration while preferring to mainly continue with the team of his predecessor Ehsan Mani, who was also nominated by Imran.

Ramiz brought in Faisal Hasnain after then-chief executive officer Wasim Khan preferred to resign, soon after he (Ramiz) took charge.

When Mani became PCB chairman, he introduced the formula of paying hefty salaries to top officials — three to six times more than the existing packages.

Meanwhile in the first phase, Human Resource Director Sareena Agha’s resignation was accepted by Sethi. Sareena’s resignation will be effective after two months but she will not come to the office anymore.

Moreover, Director High Performance Centre Nadeem Khan is most likely to leave his position as the PCB has decided to replace him with a foreign coach. Nadeem, after meeting Sethi in a couple of days, may resign, sources told Dawn.

Considering huge salaries, the positions of Faisal Hasnain (CEO) and Sami-ul-Hasan Burni (media director) are also in danger, sources said.

In the first briefing of the PCB Management Committee, sources said, Nadeem failed to give satisfactory replies about his performance as the domestic cricket system remained crippled in the last four years during which even registration and scrutiny of clubs across the country could not be completed. For this reason, no office-bearers from district/zone to provincial level could be elected.

Moreover, after the ongoing home series against New Zealand, PCB’s chief medical officer Dr Najeebullah Soo­m­ro, who is also drawing a hefty package, is most likely to quit.

After the New Zealand series, a new team management will be announced and there is a strong chance that South Africa’s Mickey Arthur, the former head coach of Pakistan, will lead the management.

Though the PCB had contacted Arthur, his reply was expected to be received in the next four, five days, sources further said.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2022