Scandal-hit PCB

Inzamamul Haq’s decision to quit his job as chief selector pending an inquiry into his business dealings is a welcome one, and shows more self-awareness than several public figures have been capable of in recent years. Inzamam actually asked for the inquiry after his impartiality was questioned because of his alleged relationship with a player management company that represents several national-level players, including team captain Babar Azam, who is in the middle of another scandal involving leaked WhatsApp messages and delays in releasing players’ compensation.

That being said, the evidence so far does not look favourable for Inzamam, as he failed to disclose the company’s relationship with him, the player agent, or wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan, who is also a company director. While it may just be an oversight and nothing nefarious, a selector ‘forgetting’ their longstanding business relationships with an agent and a player is a pretty big oversight. A more valid reason for Inzamam to go would be the team’s subpar performance at the World Cup. However, the ultimate responsibility for mismanagement should be on the top management.

But even as Inzamam’s integrity is being questioned, nobody is worried about his competence. The same cannot be said for PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf, who reportedly admitted to leaking Babar’s WhatsApp conversation with a top PCB official, and reportedly said the “team’s captain has a level” and Babar should be talking to his subordinates, implying Babar is somehow beneath his “level”. Never mind that Babar, for all his failings, is a world-class athlete and national hero, while Ashraf’s two stints as PCB chief were as a PPP-backed political appointee whose main qualification for his job was going to school with former president Asif Ali Zardari, rather than any track record as a sports administrator.

And although Ashraf’s camp says there was no pressure on Inzamam to quit, it is quite convenient that he has left at a time when Ashraf’s own job should be on the line due to both the team’s performance and his questionable conduct.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.