Turning a corner

Wednesday’s election of Najam Sethi as the 32^nd chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was hardly surprising with almost everyone and Charlie’s aunt rooting for him. The governing board in their latest meeting at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore unanimously concurred with the emerging popular view — already shared by some of the country’s cricketing legends as well as ex-administrators — that Mr Sethi is the best man for the job. This is a remarkable change from Mr Sethi’s earlier stints in 2013 and 2014, pockmarked as these were by bouts of controversy and litigation, which resulted in his intermittent tenure at the same post.

A huge turnaround in reputation came when he was able to successfully lead the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League and attract foreign players not only to the T-20 league games but also ensure that some of them played in the final. His swift and deft handling of a minor spot-fixing scandal during the tournament earned him plaudits. For a man who has previously been lampooned for his lack of understanding on cricketing affairs, Mr Sethi has done well enough to silence some of his fiercest critics. But much more will be expected of him as he takes over from Shaharyar Khan as PCB boss for a three-year term. The challenges, it must be remembered, are huge and daunting. First, he must find the ways and means to end the country’s isolation and convince other cricket-playing nations to resume their tours to Pakistan. Second, he must improve as much as he can cricket infrastructure at the grassroots level. The third challenge for him is to manage our country’s cricket ties with India on a better footing and ensure that we don’t get short-changed in our dealings with the neighbouring state. In his third stint we expect to see a complete resurgence of our cricket fortunes. Nothing less will satisfy our cricket-starved fans.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2017.

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