LAHORE: As the Pakistan cricket team gears up for the upcoming World Cup, the sport’s governing body of the country is going through an internal crisis.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) move to end the role of departments in domestic circuit has been met with severe resistance from its own Board of Governors (BoG).

The BoG’s five members walked out of a key meeting held in Quetta on April 17. The members alleged that PCB chairman Ehsan Mani has been trying to run Pakistan’s cricket affairs in a dictatorial manner.

Read: PCB board members reject MD Wasim Khan's appointment, present resolution against it

One of the members who protested was Sialkot Region head Nouman Butt. The PCB has taken him to court with his case referred to an independent adjudicator the very next day after the controversial meeting.

Two other members who walked out — Fata’s Kabir Khan and Quetta Region’s Shah Dost — have also been issued showcause notices and have been asked to respond within seven days.

However, Lahore Region’s Shahrez Abdullah Rokhari, who initially stood against the PCB chairman along with Nouman, Kabir and Dost, has dissociated himself from the group and has now reconciled with the PCB in a recent development.

“Yes, Rokhari has decided to dissociate himself from the group which moved a resolution in the BoG meeting in Quetta. Showcause notices have been served to the two other members of that group who have been asked to submit a reply to the PCB within next seven days,” a PCB spokesman said.

“The showcause notices were served to Shah Dost and Kabir Khan as president of their respective regions while the case of Nouman Butt has been referred to an adjudicator as member of the BoG after another member registered a complaint against Nouman,” the spokesman said.

The fifth member of the revolting group was Khan Reseach Laboratories’ Ayaz Butt. It has been learnt that instead of directly sending any showcause notice to Ayaz, the PCB has sent one to the department’s head.

Dawn has also learnt that the PCB has cancelled the elections of the Gujrat District Association, which were to be held on Tuesday. According to sources the move has been made since the Association falls within the Sialkot Region which is headed by Nouman.Meanwhile, Nouman has now taken his case to the Lahore High Court (LHC) which issued notices to both the parties (Nouman and PCB) to appear on May 7. In the petition, Nouman has alleged that the PCB chairman is trying to run the board’s affairs in a dictatorial manner and that he (Nouman) did not violate any clause of the PCB constitution.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2019