WORLD CUP REPERCUSSIONS

Mohsin Khan resigns as chief of cricket committee

by Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi • Published on

Mohsin Khan as quit as the head of the cricket committee which also includes Wasim Akram, Misbah ul Haq, and Urooj Mumtaz © Getty

Less than a year after becoming the head of the cricket committee, Mohsin Hasan Khan has asked Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, to be released from his role which the latter accepted.

Mani had announced the formation of this committee, which includes Wasim Akram, Misbah ul Haq, and Urooj Mumtaz, in October last year to 'assist and advice' him on the country's cricketing matters. The committee will now be headed by PCB Managing Director, Wasim Khan.

Since Pakistan's abysmal run in the ongoing World Cup, the committee, along with the board, has come under intense criticism to which the committee members have lamented that the board hasn't called on them for the past four months.

Cricbuzz understands that the cricket committee will meet around the last week of July to 'carry-out a robust review of the Pakistan cricket team's performance over the past three years' and submit its recommendations to the PCB chairman and Board of Governors for their consideration.

If the decision to bring in a new selection committee and head coach is taken, then the cricket committee will have to meet more often as it is under its purview to oversee the appointment of national selection committees and national coaches.

"I am very thankful to Mr. Ehsan Mani for honouring me with the opportunity to chair the PCB Cricket Committee," Khan said. "My services are always available for Pakistan cricket at a suitable position in view of my past record."

It is the last part of the above statement which has led to speculations that Khan might have resigned from his current role to take up either of the jobs that are likely to be opened after the World Cup. Since retiring from international cricket, Khan has served both as a selector and coach of the national men's side.

But whether he will apply for a position for which Akram, as a part of cricket committee, will be finalising the suitable candidate remains to be seen. Khan, in 2016, refused to apply for the head coach role, which was eventually taken up by Mickey Arthur, as then-chairman, Najam Sethi, had appointed Akram and Ramiz Raja to find the right person. In a show after Pakistan's 89-run defeat to India on the national sports channel, where he sits as an analyst, Khan criticised the duo for appointing Arthur for the role.

Khan, over the years, has termed Akram to be 'tainted' and said that he has inflicted embarrassment on Pakistan cricket and its fans for his alleged role in match-fixing in the 1990s. A judicial enquiry commission, headed by a high court judge, Justice Malik Qayyum, did not find him guilty of the allegations. But, the report stated that 'he [Akram] cannot be said to be above suspicion'.

Khan, however, upon been made the head of the cricket committee last October said that he was '99 percent satisfied' and his 'mind has gotten a lot clearer' after both Mani and cricket board's Chief Operating Officer, Subhan Ahmed, clarified that the 'report did not have authentic findings'.

Upon Khan's resignation from the post, the PCB chairman said: "It is always difficult to let go someone of Mohsin's stature and calibre, but we respect his decision. I am thankful to Mohsin for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavours."

© Cricbuzz

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