KARACHI: Pakistani cricket faced fresh turmoil yesterday as a court cancelled all decisions made by the interim board chairman and demanded a member of the public be included on the national selection committee.
The ruling by the Islamabad High Court severely curtails the powers of Najam Sethi, appointed as temporary Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman after Zaka Ashraf was thrown out over his controversial election.
The court cancelled the appointment of former captain Moin Khan as chief selector and ordered the PCB to draft a “keen follower of the game” from the public onto the panel that chooses the national side.
The 30-page judgement nullified the appointment of a new selection committee by Sethi -- which means Pakistan cannot presently select a side to play Zimbabwe next month.
PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said yesterday’s judgement limited the interim chairman to a caretaker role with little authority to make decisions and the board was considering an appeal.
The court issued guidelines on the process to elect a new PCB chairman, which is to take place within 90 days.
Cricket selectors are customarily drawn from the ranks of former players and coaches with personal knowledge of current players and direct experience of the game at the highest level.
Pakistan was forced to introduce a new constitution earlier this year after the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered an end to government interference.
AFP
