LAHORE: Barely a week after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a seven-member cricket committee meant to clean-up Pakistan cricket, the PCB is already mulling replacing committee Chairman Mohsin Khan after he made comments deemed inappropriate by the board.
PCB Chief Ehsan Mani is reportedly unhappy with his the head of the newly minted Cricket Committee over his suggestion that Pakistan’s Captain in all three formats, Sarfraz Ahmed, should be relieved of his responsibilities as skipper in test cricket.
Sources within the PCB have said that Mohsin Khan’s comments are creating difficulties for the cricket body, and that the remarks given during an interview to a private news channel are the cause of friction between him and the board Chairman.
In one of his first moves as Chairman of the PCB, Ehsan Mani had formed a committee last week consisting of former cricketers to look into and identify any and all problems in Pakistan cricket. Given his experience as a cricketer, a coach and an administrator, Khan was chosen to lead the committee which also consists of Misbah ul Haq and Wasim Akram.
And while Ehsan Mani had promised that while the committee would not be empowered to make any decisions, they would be given free reign to look into matters, ask questions and give suggestions about domestic, international, and women’s cricket. The idea was that the star power of the committee would mean that their obvious suggestions would generate great public support and be nearly binding on the PCB.
However, Mani seems to have done a complete 180, and is already thinking of replacing Mani for simply voicing his opinion regarding a cricketing matter. The PCB, however, has said that the reason for the possible change in committee head is that Mohsin Khan made his opinions known in an interview to a private news channel, which is unbecoming in his new role.
“PCB has asked Mohsin to stop giving out controversial statements and focus on the cricket committee that he has been appointed to lead,” the source further added.
It is worth mentioning that Mani himself had earlier said that Sarfraz’s fate would be in the hands of the committee, but seems reluctant to let it work independently.
Mohsin Khan had, earlier, voiced his views about Sarfraz in an interview with a local news channel. “I have said it before and I will say it now too, with Sarfraz I was saying you got a new guy in and don’t put the burden of three formats on him.”
“It will take such a physical load on him, T20s, ODIs and then Tests; if he is captain he will not get any mental relaxation.”
“Sarfraz’s body language was so down. I felt sorry for him that he’s had so much pressure put on him, with T20s, ODIs and Tests. There’s no doubt he is so talented and it’s not as if he is 35-36.”
Khan’s statement drew much criticism from the cricketing world as it was considered “ill-timed” and “uncalled for” by his former colleagues and cricket fans, amid flabbergasting performances by Sarfraz-led green shirts including the 11th consecutive T20 series win when they whitewashed 3-0 against Kiwis.
