Mohsin Khan resigns from PCB committee

After eight months and just three meetings, head of Pakistan cricket committee Mohsin Khan has resigned from his role for unspecified reasons. PCB managing director Wasim Khan will take over the role of leading the committee, the first order of business being a review of the past three years, to begin immediately after the World Cup ends.

Since the day the committee was formed, Mohsin Khan had been making several public statements on television, at times putting the PCB in awkward positions. The PCB, within a few weeks of his appointment, found themselves having second thoughts after comments of him speaking unflatteringly of head coach Mickey Arthur emerged. He had also openly questioned the appointment of Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain across formats, leading to the PCB putting a gag order on his public comments.

During this span, he headed three meetings but failed to develop a consensus on any outstanding cricketing issue. The committee, while not allocated any decision-making power, was handed a wide remit and could meet thrice in a year, or as requirement dictated. It held an advisory role, with the recommendations not binding for the PCB. With Pakistan performing below expectations in the World Cup, the PCB had assigned the committee to oversee the performance of the national coaching staff and the team, expected to lead to an extensive revamp in the coaching set up.

The elevation of Wasim Khan had raised eyebrows recently, with several board members demanding his appointment as MD to be declared null and void. Five members went to the media with their demands only to be found breaching their code as board member. The PCB suspended them and launched legal proceedings against them. Four members, however, returned to the board after tendering formal apologies, with Noman Butt from Sialkot region left alone to stand tall.

The idea of having an MD at the PCB was to eradicate conflict of interest as the PCB chairman constitutionally holds the power of chief executive officer as well as chief financial officer. Historically, the chairman had the authority to take every major decision and sign off on just about any policy without needing consensus within the PCB, but current chairman Ehsan Mani wants that to change, making the chairman more accountable.

Wasim has the power to name the selection committee and coaching staff as well as overseeing the international as well as domestic cricketing affairs. The prerogative of naming a captain, however, still lies with the PCB chairman. But most major decisions will now come through the managing director, with the chairman having the authority to sign off on them.