- Sehti says PCB to start bidding process for next three-year cycle
LAHORE: The general body of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unanimously given PCB Chairman Najam Sethi unqualified vote of confidence for his tireless efforts to revive cricket and to give new identity to Pakistan cricket by launching Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The elected presidents of the cricketing regions of Pakistan gave their vote of confidence at the annual general meeting (AGM) held here on Tuesday and also congratulated Najam Sethi on showing exemplary leadership in his first year of his three-year term as the elected chairman of the board.
The vote of confidence resolution by the regional presidents was presented at the meeting and wholeheartedly endorsed by the entire general body. “We extend our full support and cooperation to Mr Najam Sethi in his tireless efforts to revive cricket in Pakistan,” the elected presidents said in a joint statement. He (Sethi) has singularly set up the PSL as the first international brand of Pakistan and brought cricket home to tens of millions of fans.
“Our vote of confidence in him is unqualified; we support his vision for a new and exciting era of cricket that will bring glory to our cricket.” The AGM 2018 accepted the request by the Gwadar Cricket Association for grant of the associate membership. The general body members congratulated the PCB chairman and officials on the successful run of the national team especially in the T20 format, the outstanding growth of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the return of international cricket in the country.
The PCB chairman announced a special grant of Rs 50 million for the promotion of the game in remote areas across the country, besides this figure the annual expenditure on the regional and district cricket has been increased by Rs 100 million. In the last fiscal year 2017-2018, Rs 300 million was allocated for the same purpose. Sethi proposed a two-day session prior to the next AGM in order to ensure the hearing and resolution of the grievances by the general body members.
The proposal was unanimously accepted by the members. The general body appreciated the PCB initiatives of reviving inter-school and inter-club tournaments across the country, the general body members advised the PCB on the possible improvements in future editions of these two tournaments.
In his address to the general body members, the PCB chairman spoke at length about the progress made by the board in the first year of his three year tenure. Sethi said that since taking over he has made a real effort of bringing a professional change and approach at PCB. He said that the revival of the international cricket has already been a huge success in Lahore and Karachi.
The series of matches include three World XI games, T20 against Sri Lanka, three T20s against the West Indies and three PSL matches including the grand final in Karachi last March which have brought real joy to the cricket fans in the country. The PCB chairman also spoke about the game development programmes underway across the country. He said that the National Cricket Academy coaches were working very hard on the development of the back-up players, through a vigorous high performance camp which is in full swing at the NCA Lahore, while fringe players are attending academies all around the country.
Najam Sethi also spoke about the growth of the PSL into a world class event that can compete with the very best in the shortest format. He said that the media values of all six franchises and PSL assets were going up phenomenally with the cumulative media value of the PSL league now estimated at three billion rupees. He said that the PCB would be starting the bidding process for the next three-year cycle and record breaking numbers were expected as indicated by Nielsen Sports who are rated amongst the top analysis firms in the sporting world.
