LAHORE: It seems professional media personnel will have a major role in running the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as Najam Sethi and Shakil Sheikh, both journalists, were named on Saturday to lead two powerful committees of the Governing Board (GB).

Three committees — titled Executive, Cricket and Grassroots — were formed at the 30th meeting of the Governing Board, which was held here on Saturday.

Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi, also a prominent journalist, has been named to head the powerful Executive Committee, which will take most important decisions including those concerning administration and finance.

The PCB did not elaborate specific roles of the aforementioned three committees. But with chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed and chief financial officer (CFO) Badar A. Khan included in the Executive Committee it seems the body will be empowered to take all decisions regarding administration and finance.

More surprisingly, no other member of the GB is included in the Executive Committee, giving Sethi enough freedom to take decisions.

Being PCB officials both chief operating officer and chief financial officer hold no power to differ with Sethi because he is a GB member.

Therefore, the new set-up emerging in the wake of the aforementioned decisions indicate that Sethi will have a major role in running the PCB — and may well leave recently-elected chairman Shaharyar M. Khan as mere spectator.

Furthermore, Shakil Sheikh is another media person who has been appointed as head of the Cricket Committee, another important body of the PCB.

Interestingly, Shakil is affiliated with the same media group where Sethi has been working as anchorperson.

Strangely, Iqbal Qasim — a prominent name of Pakistan cricket — will also work under Shakeel.

It may be mentioned here that Iqbal is also a GB member but God knows better why and how the former 50-Test veteran has agreed to work under a non-cricketer.

Two other former Test cricketers — ex-Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam and Haroon Rasheed — will also work under Shakil, giving him an unusual sort of position in PCB officialdom.

Moreover, as Shakeel and Sethi are supposed to be very close to each other, it is very likely that both will have absolute command of the PCB affairs.

The third body announced on Saturday — the Grassroots Committee — will be led by another GB member Prof Ejaz Faruqi, who is also president of the Karachi City Cricket Association.

The Grassroots Committee includes Peshawar’s Gul Zada (another GB member), Javed Zaman, Haroon Rasheed and Shaheen Khan as its members.

Surprisingly, the PCB avoided holding a media briefing after the meeting, and rather issued a brief press release on the gathering.

Meanwhile, the plan to hold inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in December-January has been shelved, but it has been decided that PCB chairman will meet the bidders just to take them into confidence that it is not possible to hold the PSL in such a short period of time.

“Frequent changes in PCB chairmanship due to the legal fight between Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf in the recent past did not give the Board appropriate time to complete its working on the PSL and therefore it is not possible to hold the league at least this year,” a PCB official told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

The PCB in its press release also said: “The 30th meeting of the PCB Governing Board with Mr Shaharyar M. Khan chairing it approved the budget for the financial year 2014-15, was updated on media rights for the forthcoming series against Australia and New Zealand, formed various committees and deliberated on the Pakistan Super League.

“The GB appreciated the efforts of PCB management to control expenditure and improved income, resulting in projected profits for the financial year 2014-15.

“On the PSL, pursuant to detailed deliberations and discussions a decision was arrived at unanimously to invite the bidders for a meeting next week with PCB chairman, and a decision will thereafter be conveyed vis-a-vis the fate of the bidding process.”

Other than chairman Shaharyar Khan, the following members attended Saturday’s GB meeting: Najam Sethi, Shakil Sheikh (Islamabad), Gul Zada (Peshawar), Prof Ejaz Faruqi (Karachi), Iqbal Qasim (NBP), Amjad Latif (SNGPL), Mansoor Masood Khan (UBL; via audio link from the UK), Yousuf Nasim Khokhar (Wapda) and Chaudhry Ijaz (federal secretary IPC).

Subhan Ahmed and Badar M. Khan and GB secretary Salman Naseer also attended the meeting.

The appointment of following committees was also approved by the GB.

Executive Committee: Najam Sethi (chairman); Subhan Ahmed, Badar M. Khan (members).

Cricket Committee: Shakil Sheikh (chairman); Iqbal Qasim, Intikhab Alam, Zakir Khan, Haroon Rasheed (members).

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2014