LAHORE: In a surprising turn of events, Aalia Rasheed, the media and communications director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), tendered her resignation on Friday. Shortly thereafter, Sami-ul-Hasan, the board’s former media director, was announced as her replacement.

Aalia announced her resignation on social media without providing any explanation for her sudden departure. Sami, who had been previously ousted from the position by former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, now finds himself back at the helm of the department.

This revolving door of leadership is not new to the PCB, with rapid changes often accompanying shifts in chairmanship. Over the past 14 months alone, there have been four different individuals holding the position of media director; Sami, Umar Farooq, Aalia, and now Sami once again.

Despite attempts by Dawn to obtain a statement from Aalia regarding her resignation, she remained unresponsive. This trend of high-ranking officials departing following a change in leadership is consistent within the PCB.

Recently, the appointments made by current chair­­man Mohsin Naqvi have raised eyebrows. Several government officers, including Rafiullah, have been brought into key positions within the organisation, despite lacking significant cricketing backgrounds.

It’s rumored that Mohsin intends to appoint another journalist, Amir Mir, as a media consultant, further deviating from traditional cricketing expertise in top roles.

The potential appointment of Amir, who previously served as an information minister under Mohsin’s tenure as caretaker chief minister of Punjab, suggests a trend of favoritism over competence.

Similarly, the inclusion of Bilal Afzal, another former member of Mohsin’s cabinet, in the national selection committee as an analyst, despite lacking a notable cricketing profile, raises concerns.

In this environment, it is likely that Sami, with his extensive experience as media director, will find himself relegated to a subordinate role under Amir and Rafiullah.

Despite his decade-long tenure at the ICC in a similar capacity, Sami may now serve merely as an assistant, overshadowed by individuals with closer political ties rather than cricketing expertise.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2024