New PCB chief

Selection of PCB chief should be in free, fair elections organised by board, with no political interference

It appears Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has no immediate intention of returning to his pre-politics career, as he is elected unopposed as PCB chairman. Naqvi is no stranger to career changes, having started as a journalist before starting up his own news channel. By the time he took over as CM, he owned about half a dozen TV channels and his management skills were well-regarded for the success he achieved on shoestring budgets. However, nothing in his diverse career suggests he is qualified to be a sports administrator in charge of the most lucrative sporting body in the country.

In Naqvi’s defence, he is in good company — only four PCB chiefs have actually played for Pakistan, and of the 33 other chiefs, only a handful have played first class cricket. The vast majority of PCB chiefs, including some of the most successful ones, had little to no experience with the game at any organised level. But that is no excuse for the manner in which PCB chiefs were selected historically. In many cases, success came in spite of the chairman, rather than because of him. Part of good management is making teams overperform, something that has rarely been associated with our teams because administrators are more concerned with their own job security and less worried about results.

The PCB chief’s job should be strictly merit-based, instead of the current political mishmash that is a remnant of a bygone era when the board was dependent on government funding. Today, despite well-documented management issues, the PCB is still in a position to lend the federal government money. Selection of the PCB chief should be in free and fair elections organised by the board, with political parties avoiding interference. This would lead to a situation where candidates would invariably be people with sports management experience, as most candidates would either already be involved with the PCB or regional boards, or have had outstanding playing careers.

The best thing Naqvi could do in his three-year stint is to lay the groundwork to ensure all his successors earn the job, rather than being appointed, anointed, or elected unopposed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2024.

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