Mustafa Ramday and Zulfiqar Malik, who are members of the incumbent Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set-up, have raised concerns about the functioning of the PCB's Interim Management Committee, led by Zaka Ashraf. They allege that the provisional regime is taking illegal and unconstitutional steps.
Ramday and Zulfiqar claim that they have repeatedly written to Zaka Ashraf, urging him to work in accordance with the PCB constitution and remain within the domain granted to him by the Prime Minister. They have also informed the IPC (Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination) secretary about their reservations.
Bet here on the World Cup and other cricket matches!
The Prime Minister, as the patron of the PCB, is expected to decide on November 5 whether to replace Zaka Ashraf or retain him, as the four-month tenure of the incumbent chairman is ending on that date.
What did Mustafa Ramday say?
“The [present] PCB chairman is allowed to deal with the day-to-day affairs but under this umbrella [of day-to-day affairs] a good number of appointments have been made in the PCB,” said Ramday to Pakistani news outlet Dawn.
"Though I have raised several questions regarding the illegal activities of the PCB, I did not get a reply of even one query submitted to the PCB chairman PCB.
"My second concern is that the chairman [Zaka] has failed to hold the elections of the PCB chairman which is the main task given to him. No steps have been taken yet in this regard.
“The chairman has strictly advised all the PCB staff members not to share any documents of the Board with me so I may not get to know how many new employees have been hired by the chairman,” Ramday alleged. “Nepotism and friendship are at the peak in the PCB affairs.”
However, Ramday is yet to write to the Prime Minister voicing his concerns but has kept the IPC secretary in the loop. The IPC is believed to have submitted a summary of this issue to the head of the state.
Meanwhile, Malik, a member of the PCB Interim Management Committee, has written to the Prime Minister, members of the IMC, and the IPC secretary, objecting to what he considers unconstitutional actions within the PCB's current set-up.
“The IMC led by Mr Zaka Ashraf has not confined itself to day-to-day affairs and has taken many long-term decisions which violate the mandate given to it,” the letter read.
Is Shahid Afridi going to be the next PCB Chairman?
Amid the ongoing uncertainty, it is understood that Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the eighth caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, summoned former captain Shahid Afridi to Islamabad.
According to Abdul Ghaffar of Dawn, during the meeting, Kakar hailed Afridi's contribution to Pakistan cricket and expressed his desire to hand the former all-rounder an important role in PCB. Although Afridi is yet to commit -- the cricketer has asked for a couple of days to think over the request.
MORE: Can Pakistan qualify for World Cup 2023 semifinals?
There have been speculations that Afridi might be considered for the post of PCB Chairman as Asharf's tenure as the chief of PCB's Interim Management Committee is set to end on November 4.
BREAKING: Shahid Afridi new Chairman PCB? | Prime Minister Kakar big Offer to Shahid Afridi
— Abdul Ghaffar 🇵🇰 (@GhaffarDawnNews) November 2, 2023
Details https://t.co/1aQHPzTxkX pic.twitter.com/pk2kaivRp8
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India, Australia and South Africa are among the top five favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds from Dafabet are as follows:
| Team | Odds (Dafabet) |
|---|---|
| India | 2.15 |
| Australia | 5.00 |
| South Africa | 4.75 |
| New Zealand | 7.00 |
| Pakistan | 29.00 |
Think you know who will win the 2023 Cricket World Cup? Place your bets here with Dafabet!
Fans in the UK can check out all the latest promotions, bonuses and free bets on the Cricket World Cup 2023 via our partners BetOnSports here.
