Zaka Ashraf’s tenure extended despite failure to hold elections

LAHORE: In a development confirmed by a government notification issued on Saturday evening, Zaka Ashraf’s term as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to continue for an additional three months.

The notification, which came directly from the patron of the board and current interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, marked a significant development in the realm of Pakistani cricket administration.

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While discussing the extension in a television interview on Friday, Prime Minister Kakar had hinted at the possibility of extending Ashraf’s tenure until the conclusion of the ongoing World Cup. The official notification, issued by the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), officially approved the extension, stating that it had “approved extension of three months in the tenure period of the present Management Committee, effective from 5th November, 2023.”

The IPC reasserted the committee’s primary responsibilities, which include finalising the Board of Governors (BoG) and conducting the chairman elections in a timely manner. Furthermore, the committee has been informed that it will not be granted another extension beyond February 2024, which coincides with the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. Notably, the committee has also been explicitly barred from making policy decisions or high-level appointments.

The interim management committee that has been overseeing the PCB was initially scheduled to conclude its term on November 5. Recent weeks had seen a great deal of speculation and scrutiny regarding the board’s administration, following a series of high-profile controversies, including a leaked WhatsApp conversation between Babar and a senior PCB official.