Zaka Ashraf, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, previously led the effort to bring the T10 League to Pakistan. Initial discussions were held with the English cricket county Middlesex, and plans were formulated for exhibition matches in Rawalpindi from January 24 to 26. The proposed event aimed to accommodate a 40-member delegation, including male and female cricketers and officials from England.
Despite securing government permission, the final approval for the event is pending. The latest reports indicate that a five-member delegation in Islamabad presented a detailed project briefing to the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC). However, the budget for the exhibition matches was subsequently revised down to 280 million rupees.
Concurrently, the Ministry issued a directive to the PCB headquarters in Lahore, instructing them to reduce daily operations, including imposing restrictions on seating, solar panel installations, and setting up fans at the stadium. Additionally, the Ministry imposed restrictions on entering into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with any cricket board.
Amidst these developments, Zaka Ashraf is expected to preside over the PCB management committee meeting. This meeting aims to establish a new governing board, consisting of four officials and four representatives from different regions. Former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif nominated Zaka Ashraf and Mustafa Ramday as government candidates for these positions.
The anticipation is that the first meeting of the new governing board will occur within a week. During this session, potential objections to the chairmanship nominations will be addressed and discussed. Subsequently, the final list of candidates will be officially announced. Despite the conventional expectation that the Prime Minister’s nominee assumes the chairmanship, current circumstances suggest a departure from this norm.