Sethi chose to continue as PCB chairman after heading the interim management committee appointed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last December. The term of the interim committee was supposed to expire on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister is the patron of the Cricket Board in Pakistan and directly appoints two members to the PCB Board of Governors – and one of them is elected Chairman.
Asif Ali Zardari-led Pakistan People’s Party is Sharif’s coalition partner in government and in recent weeks has claimed that its candidate should be the new PCB chairman as it has the sports ministry in the coalition.
I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif,” Sethi posted on Twitter. “Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. In this situation, I am not a candidate for the post of PCB chairman. All the best to all stakeholders.”
Former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, who has PPP support, is expected to be one of the two candidates nominated by the prime minister.
Sethi replaced Ramiz Raja last December and was given 120 days to restore the domestic structure of the sport under the 2014 constitution, after the 2019 constitution of the board was scrapped.
Shetty took some major cricketing decisions including appointing Mickey Arthur as Director of Cricket and Grant Bradburn as Head Coach. Last week, former South Africa international Morne Morkel was appointed as the national team’s bowling coach for six months.
Sethi’s hybrid model for the Asia Cup, which will see India play all its matches in Sri Lanka, has also received approval from the Asian Cricket Council. India refused to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup due to strained political relations between the two countries. However, Sethi has managed to play four matches in Pakistan and the remaining nine Asia Cup matches will be held in Sri Lanka from August 31-September. 17
