New PSL set-up will face challenges: Mehmood

Former PCB chairman backs idea of change but says implementation might be tough

KARACHI: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Khalid Mehmood has backed the idea of making the Pakistan Super League (PSL) a separate entity, saying the decision will motivate the franchises but he warned that an overhaul in the government setup will pose a huge challenge for the lucrative league.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced earlier this week that the PSL will work separately after its governing body gave thumbs up to the same proposal at a Board of Governors (BOG) meeting in Lahore.



The PSL will remain under PCB’s control but will have a new board including five directors — three from the PCB and two from outside it.



PCB’s executive committee chief Najam Sethi and BOG members Mansoor Masood Khan and Shakil Sheikh represent the board, while industrialist Arif Habib and corporate lawyer Zia Rizvi were named as the two external directors.

As per the rules, one of the external directors will become the PSL chairman while one the directors from within the PCB will become the Chief Executive Officer. Habib and Sethi have been tipped to take the two positions respectively.

“On paper it appears to be a good idea,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “The PSL has not been privatised as it remains under the ownership of PCB.”

Mehmood feels the system can lead to several benefits. “The PSL should work more systematically under the new setup as it will become an independent body,” he said. “Leagues from other countries also work as separate legal entities. There should be more accountability and checks of the officials. But the outcome of this development remains to be seen.”

One of the reasons given by PCB officials behind making PSL a separate entity is to counter political restrictions as a change in government also brings an overhaul in PCB’s hierarchy.



“A change in government will still be a serious challenge for the new PSL set-up. An overhaul in the board’s leadership is inevitable with a political change in Pakistan,” he said. “PCB officials are mistaken if they think they will be able to retain their positions in case of that change.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2016.

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