ZCZC
BSP-20
CRICKET-PAK-SETHI
Pakistan cricket chief Sethi resigns
KARACHI, Aug 20, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Pakistan cricket chief Najam Sethi
resigned on Monday following speculation in recent days that he would be
forced out by the country’s newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The two were involved in a bitter, public feud in recent years, after Khan
accused Sethi of election fraud to help former premier Nawaz Sharif’s party
win the 2013 election.
Sethi, who was appointed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by Sharif,
denied the allegation and sued Khan for defamation.
His three-year term as chairman was due to end in 2020, but his departure
was widely expected following Khan’s victory.
“It is only proper that you should assume charge and responsibility for
assembling a management team for PCB that enjoys your full confidence and
trust,” Sethi wrote in his resignation letter, which was posted on his
Twitter page and the PCB website.
“I wish PCB all the best and hope our cricket team goes from strength to
strength,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Khan nominated former International Cricket Council
president Ehsan Mani as Sethi’s replacement.
“(Mani) brings vast and valuable experience to the job,” Khan tweeted.
There is a history of Pakistan’s cricket chiefs being replaced when new
governments come in.
Sethi is also editor of The Friday Times, a national news weekly, in which
he has often been critical of Khan. The magazine runs a regular column —
satirical diary entries by Khan — called “Im the Dim”.
In 2016, Sethi led the launch of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a high-
profile domestic Twenty20 tournament that has been widely credited with the
rise of the national 20-over side.
Pakistan is currently the top-ranked T20 team in the world.
Several high-profile matches featuring foreign players were also played on
Pakistani soil under Sethi’s leadership, seen as major steps in resuming
regular international cricket in the country — halted after a 2009 terror
attack on the Sri Lankan team in the eastern city of Lahore.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 2250 hrs