Kolkata: “What India thinks today, Pakistan thinks tomorrow,” can we apply this adage in view of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) flipping through options to ensure that no office bearer aged 70 and above can be part of the board? According to a report by PTI, inspired by the Lodha Committee’s recommendations on similar lines to all office bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), PCB can follow suit.
If at all, PCB takes a leaf out of Lodha Committee’s recommendations, it means the administrative career of the current president Shaharyar Khan (82) would be over. BCCI functionaries like Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and others are already counting their days as cricket administrators and now, it could be Khan’s turn. Perhaps, the drubbing in the hands of Australia has made PCB officials stand up and realise the gravity of the situation that PCB needs younger functionaries to handle the affairs. In fact, Pakistan has now slipped to the fifth position in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test rankings with some former cricketers asking skipper Misbah-ul-Haq to call it a day.
“The board has now drawn up a shortlist of potential candidates all former test players who will be given assignments with the teams in future,” a source told the news agency. Former Pakistani captain, Intikhab Alam’s contract as the manager of the team was cancelled because of his age (76). An eight-year younger former Pakistani wicket-keeper Wasim Bari was given the job. Now, as per the source, the board chairman will have to approve of any appointment of ex-cricketers aged 60 or above, including the ones short listed.
According to the source, former players like Iqbal Qasim, Haroon Rasheed, Talat Ali, Moin Khan, Jalaluddin, Nadeem Khan, Iqbal Sikander will be soon entrusted the responsibility of managing various teams. The board has also prepared a list of coaches who will be assigned with the A and junior teams.
It remains to be seen how PCB goes about bringing in younger administrators to the board to ensure better functioning. But there is no doubt, BCCI has shown the way for a change to its counterpart across the border, a phenomenon that we usually don’t witness amidst growing tensions between the two countries.
(With inputs from PTI)