Last Updated: June 20, 2023, 03:53 AM IST
Najam Sethi had seemed the favourite to carry on and be appointed chairman once the interim set-up ended but speculation had grown over the last couple of weeks about the return of Zaka Ashraf. (AFP File Photo)
Sethi announced the decision in a late-night tweet, in which he said he doesn’t want “to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif”
Najam Sethi has withdrawn from the race to become the next chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), citing a political dispute between the ruling coalition’s main parties over the appointment.
In a late-night tweet, Sethi expressed his unwillingness “to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif.” He stated that the instability and uncertainty caused by the conflict are detrimental to the PCB.
“Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders,” he tweeted.
Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) June 19, 2023
According to ESPNcricinfo, Sethi was heading an interim management committee that had been running the board since last December but whose tenure was due to end on June 21.
He had seemed the favourite to carry on and be appointed chairman once the interim set-up ended but speculation had grown over the last couple of weeks about the return of Zaka Ashraf.
Sethi and Ashraf have a history of vying for the leadership of the Pakistan Cricket Board. They were engaged in a prolonged legal dispute over the position in 2013 and 2014.
According to the Pakistan media reports, there were differences between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP over the appointment of the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman.
Earlier this month, Pakistan Federal Minister Ehsan Mazari had said Zaka Ashraf would be the next PCB chairman.
Mazari said that Sethi was appointed for four months to conduct elections for the PCB chairman.
