The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formerly known as Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan, is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Council since 1952, it represents the country's men's and women's national teams in international cricket tournaments played under the ICC.[4]

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
پاکستان کرکٹ بورڈ
SportCricket
Jurisdiction Pakistan
AbbreviationPCB
Founded1 May 1949; 75 years ago (1949-05-01)
AffiliationInternational Cricket Council
Affiliation date28 July 1952 (1952-07-28)
Regional affiliationAsian Cricket Council
Affiliation date19 September 1983; 41 years ago (1983-09-19)
HeadquartersGaddafi Stadium, Ferozepur Road
LocationLahore, Pakistan
ChairmanMohsin Raza Naqvi
DirectorVacant
Men's coachGary Kirsten (Head Coach) Jason Gillespie (Test Team Coach)
Women's coachMohtashim Rasheed (interim)
Operating incomeRs. 19.32 billion (US$67 million) (2020-21)[1]
Sponsor
ReplacedBoard of Control for Cricket in Pakistan
Official website
pcb.com.pk
Pakistan

Following the establishment of Pakistan as an independent dominion of the British Empire in 1947, professional and amateur cricket commenced in the same year, seeing as local infrastructure had already been established when the country was part of the British Raj. Cricket matches were arranged informally until 1948, when a Board of Control was formally instituted. Pakistan was admitted to the Imperial Cricket Conference (currently known as International Cricket Council) in July 1952, and has since been a full member, playing Test cricket. The team's first Test series took place in India between October and December 1952.[5]

Inaugural Board of Control

The Pakistan Cricket Board was inaugurated on 1 May 1949 as the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP).[6] The first meeting, held in the committee rooms of Lahore Gymkhana, saw HE Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot, the Nawab of Mamdot, made president and chairman, with Justice A. R. Cornelius as one of three vice-presidents. The following year, Cornelius became chairman of the working committee, until he relinquished his connection with the board in early 1953.[7]

The working chairman was always one of the three vice-presidents. In April 1957, Ayub Khan imposed three more new vice-presidents (himself being one of them). Then between December 1958 and September 1969 the post of vice-president disappeared.

Committees

The response to turmoil within the board has on four occasions been to suspend the rules and appoint an ad hoc committee. The first ad hoc committee was appointed in September 1960 and did not disband until May 1963 having created a new constitution. The President of Pakistan would now nominate the board president who would in turn nominate the other members of the executive committee to sit for a period of three years. Representatives of the four provincial cricket associations and Government departments formed the executive committee.

The BCCP was re-organised in the 1970s and was headed by former cricketers, professional administrators and trustees, who were often businessmen.[8] In November 1976 players' demands for increased salaries reached a crisis and the Pakistan Sports Board took over running the B.C.C.P.'s affairs. Long-serving president, the formidable Kardar, was in the thick of the dispute. The revolt against Kardar forced him to resign in May 1977 and led to a new Ad Hoc Committee replacing the Board Council in 1978 running Pakistan cricket and again changing the constitution. Provincial Cricket Associations were eliminated and divisional and city CAs became members, giving most of the influence to the city Cricket Association of Lahore and Karachi.

The Board now governed a network of teams sponsored by corporations and banks, city associations and clubs.[8] There is no province-based official team type organisation of domestic cricket in Pakistan and Lahore and Karachi cities are the two top tiers of all cricket, including reservoirs of fresh talent.[9][8]

Pakistan cricket was involved by dissension and controversies over the national team's poor performance during the tour of India and a public uproar forced the end of the Ad Hoc Committee.[8] The chairman and team captain Asif Iqbal had to step down.[10] Air Marshal Nur Khan now became chairman and he saw the banks and other organisations increase their participation on the Board Council in the face of protests from the zonal organisations.

A third ad hoc committee under Javed Burki took charge of BCCP affairs in January 1994 and made a new constitution including giving a new name, the Pakistan Cricket Board (P.C.B.) It introduced a chairman and chief executive.

After taking heavy criticism on the grounds of corruption and match fixing, the Board was taken over by a fourth Ad Hoc Committee formed on 17 July 1999 which remains in place despite undertakings from Musharraf to bring it to an end. The Pakistan Cricket Board re-emerged by taking the initiative to sponsor the hugely successful 2004 tour of Pakistan by their rivals India. The Pakistan Cricket Board has competed and has associated itself with the Twenty20 cricket form and has also proven popular and hopes to similarly revive popular interest in domestic games. However, Pakistan's early exit from the 2007 World Cup cast a shadow and later Dr. Nasim Ashraf's resigned at the end of 2008.

Ejaz Butt was named the PCB Chairman in October 2008. Zaka Ashraf took over from Butt in October 2011.[11][12]

On 28 May 2013, Zaka Ashraf was suspended as PCB Chairman by Islamabad High Court due to a dubious election. The newly sworn in Government of Nawaz Sharif named Najam Sethi as acting PCB Chairman.[13] On 15 October 2013, the governing council of the Pakistan Cricket Board was dissolved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, and an interim five man management committee was named consisting of acting chairman Najam SethiShahryar Khan, two former players (Zaheer Abbas and Haroon Rasheed, and former team manager Naveed Cheema.[14]

On 15 January 2014, Zaka Ashraf was reinstated as PCB Chairman. The PML-N Government was unhappy with the reinstatement (since Ashraf was a PPP appointee), and this led to Ashraf's sacking. In February, PCB Governing Board was dissolved and an eight-member management committee (comprising Shakil Sheikh, Shaharyar Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim, Naveed Akram Cheema, Yusaf Naseem Khokar and Faridullah Khan, the secretary IPC). Najam Sethi was elected as chairman by the management committee.[15]

Domestic cricket

The structure of domestic cricket in Pakistan at the highest level has changed many times since 1947 with the latest restructure being enforced in 2019.[16] Previously domestic cricket operated with departmental, city and regional teams - a set up encouraged by Abdul Hafeez Kardar.[17] Since 1947, the domestic first class cricket system has varied considerably per year with teams ranging from 7 to 26 and tournament matches operating under different formats (often changes occurred every year). With the advent of domestic List A and T20 forms of cricket in the 1970s and 2000s, there has been no consistent set up (as has been noted for first class cricket in Pakistan). Historically, school and club cricket has also suffered due to inconsistencies in top tier domestic cricket. The consistent changes in the domestic structure and the gradual introduction of departmental teams was encouraged as it provided permanent jobs to players. Matches were rarely televised due to lack of quality cricket and lack of interest in departmental cricket. This inconsistent system was widely criticised on the basis of low quality cricket and reduced competition.

In 2019, six regional teams were created on provincial lines. The teams would compete in the principal competitions in all three formats of the game. The competitions are:

The PCB's rationale in reducing the number of teams in domestic cricket was to concentrate talent in order to increase competition and improve the quality of cricket. The new structure also consisted of corresponding second XI, under-19, under-16 and under-13 competitions, and live television coverage of top level matches.[18] The restructuring also reorganised district level cricket into a three tier bottom-up system, with 90 city cricket associations supervising school and club cricket at grassroots level, and inter-city tournaments providing a stepping-stone to the six elite regional teams.[19][20]

The six regional teams (operated by respective six cricket associations) ensure that the affairs of the associations at city level are regulated. They frame policies that will develop cricket at the grassroots, manage club cricket in collaboration with the 90 city associations and also oversee intra-city competitions. The teams are responsible for revenue generation through sponsorship, marketing and strategic collaborations with business conglomerates. Each of the six regional teams have a chief executive officer and a management committee that has been tasked with supervising all cricketing activities. These changes have been made by the PCB in order to decentralise the administrative body so that it can limit itself to a supervisory role by delegating responsibilities related to the development of the sport to the provincial associations.[19] This tiered structure has been enshrined in the PCB constitution.[21]

Governance of Pakistan cricket

Presidents and chairmen

No. Name Took office Left office Notes
1 Iftikhar Hussain Khan, May 1949 March 1950
2 Chaudhry Nazir Ahmad Khan March 1950 September 1951
3 Abdus Sattar Pirzada September 1951 May 1953
4 Mian Aminuddin March 1953 July 1954
5 Muhammad Ali Bogra July 1954 September 1955
6 Maj. Gen Iskander Mirza September 1955 December 1958
7 Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan Dec 1958 June 1960
8 Justice A.R.Cornelius June 1960 May 1963
9 Syed Fida Hassan June 1963 May 1969
10 Ikram Ahmed Khan (President) May 1969 May 1972
11 Abdul Hafeez Kardar May 1972 April 1977
12 Chaudhry Muhammad Hussain April 1977 July 1978
13 Lt Gen. (Retd) Khwaja Muhammad Azhar August 1978 February 1980
14 Air Marshal (Retd) Malik Nur Khan February 1980 February 1984
15 Lt Gen. (Retd) Ghulam Safdar Butt February 1984 February 1988
16 Lt Gen. (Retd) Zahid Ali Akbar Khan February 1988 September 1992
17 Justice Dr. Nasim Hasan Shah October 1992 December 1994
18 Javed Burki January 1994 March 1995
19 Syed Zulfiqar Bokhari March 1995 January 1998
20 Khalid Mahmood January 1998 July 1999
21 Mujeeb ur Rehman September 1999[22] October 1999
22 Dr. Zafar Altaf October 1999 December 1999
23 Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia December 1999 December 2003
24 Shaharyar Khan December 2003 October 2006
25 Nasim Ashraf October 2006 August 2008
26 Ijaz Butt August 2008 October 2011
27 Zaka Ashraf October 2011 May 2013 (suspended by IHC)
28 Najam Sethi June 2013 January 2014
29 Zaka Ashraf January 2014 February 2014 (Reinstated by IHC)
30 Najam Sethi February 2014 16 May 2014
31 Shaharyar Khan May 2014 August 2017
32 Najam Sethi August 2017 August 2018
33 Ehsan Mani August 2018[23] August 2021
34 Ramiz Raja September 2021[24] December 2022
35 Najam Sethi December 2022 June 2023 Chairman Management Committee
36 Zaka Ashraf July 2023[25] January 2024 Chairman Management Committee
37 Mohsin Raza Naqvi February 2024 Incumbent

Secretary

No. Name Took office Left office
1 Bashir Ahmad[26] 1965 1971
2 Dr Zafar Altaf 1972 1975
3 Khalid Mahmood 1975 1976
4 Lt Col Zafar Ahmad[27] 1977 1978
5 Lt Col (Retd) Rafi Nasim[28] 1978 1980
6 Zulfiqar Ahmad 1986 1986
7 Muhammad Ijaz Butt 1986 1988
8 Arif Ali Khan Abbasi[29] 1988 1991
9 Shahid Rafi[30] 1991 1994
10 Ghulam Mustafa Khan 1995 1997
11 Waqar Ahmad 1997 1999
12 Shafqat Rana 1999 2000
Position Abolished

Chief executive officers

No. Name Took office Left office
1 Arif Ali Khan Abbasi[29] 1995 1996
2 Majid Khan 1996 1997
3 Yawar Saeed 1998 2000
4 Brig Munawar Ahmad Rana[31] 2000 2002
5 Chishti Mujahid 2002 2003
6 Ramiz Hasan Raja 2003 2004
7 Abbas Zaidi[32] 2004 2006
8 Shafqat Hussain Naghmi[33] 2006 2008
9 Salim Altaf 2008 2009
10 Wasim Bari 2009 2010
11 Subhan Ahmed[34] 2010 2018
12 Wasim Khan 2018 2021
13 Faisal Husnain[35] 2022[35] 2023
Position Abolished[36]

Headquarters

The PCB headquarters are located near the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan. All PCB Officials sit there during the weekdays from 9AM to 5PM.[37]

PCB annual awards

Pakistan Cricket Board for the first time held inaugural awards in 2012 to recognize, acknowledge and honour Pakistan's prime cricketing talent that has consistently stood out on the field of play.[38]

Category
PCB Curator of the year
PCB Umpire of the year
PCB Deaf Cricketer of the year
PCB Blind Cricketer of the year
PCB Woman Cricketer of the Year
PCB Most Valuable Domestic Bowler
PCB Most Valuable Domestic Batsman
PCB Emerging Player of the Year
PCB T20I Bowler of the Year
PCB T20I Batter of the Year
PCB ODI Bowler of the Year
PCB ODI Batter of the Year
PCB Test Bowler of the Year
PCB Test Batter of the Year
PCB Player of the Year
PCB Life Time Achievement Award
Special Prize for Best Bowler of the Year

PCB initiative to revive cricket in Pakistan

Australian envoy visits PCB headquarters

The Australian Higher Commissioner to Pakistan, Peter Heyward, visited the PCB headquarters at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 3 September 2012. He appreciated the board's efforts to bring cricket back in Pakistan. He further said he always love to see the Australian team playing against Pakistan in front of Pakistani people and on their home grounds.[39]

Asian Cricket Council Development Committee

The Asian Cricket Council Development Committee meeting was held in Islamabad on 24 September 2012 and was chaired by Zaka Ashraf. The Chairman PCB called on the members to come over to Pakistan to play cricket. ACC members assured the then Chairman of their support and Chief Executive of ACC Syed Ashraful Haq said they felt no security concern in Pakistan and considered playing cricket here to be safe as anywhere in the world.[40]

ICC CEO visits NCA

David Richardson, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, visited National Cricket Academy on 12 January 2013. He said that Pakistan Cricket Board is working very hard to bring International Cricket back to Pakistan and it is our role to support Pakistan Cricket Board in its efforts to revive international cricket whenever it is possible.[41]

However the recent visit of ICC CEO Geoff Allardice Pakistan took place on 30 May 2023.

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b "Commercial Partners | Pakistan Cricket Board". pcb.com.pk. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  3. ^ "TCL Teams Up With PCB As Associate Partner Of Pakistan vs Australia Series". The Friday Times (newspaper). 3 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  4. ^ "International Cricket Council". Live Cricket Scores & News International Cricket Council. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  5. ^ "A look at the first meetings of Pakistan vs India cricket rivalry". Pakistan Today. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  6. ^ Bowen, Rowland. "Some dates in Pakistan cricket history". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  7. ^ Latif, Najum (14 November 2020). "Justice Cornelius, Father of Pakistan Cricket". ScoreLine. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "PCB making all out support to bring international cricket back into the country". Pakistan & Gulf Economist. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  9. ^ Ali, Rizwan (12 February 2019). "PSL: A pathway to revive international cricket in Pakistan". AP NEWS. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  10. ^ Chakraberty, Sumit (14 April 2014). Master Laster: What They Don't Tell You about Sachin Tendulkar. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 9789381398593.
  11. ^ "Banker Ashraf replaces Butt as PCB chief". News18. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  12. ^ "A litany of lows". Cricinfo. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Najam Sethi named PCB's interim chairman". Cricinfo. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  14. ^ Farooq, Umar (15 October 2013). "PCB's governing board dissolved". cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Najam Sethi named as new PCB chairperson". The Express Tribune. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  16. ^ "PCB unveils new domestic set-up with 'stay at the top' mantra". ESPN Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Dept cricket's abolition: Ex-cricketers split over Imran's decision". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  18. ^ "PCB confirms schedule of 266-match 2021-22 domestic season". Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  19. ^ a b "PCB's new domestic structure: Improvement at the price of unemployment?". The Express Tribune. 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  20. ^ "City Cricket Association tournament schedule announced". 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  21. ^ "PCB's new constitution confirms overhaul of domestic structure". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Induction of Mr. Mujeeb ur Rehman Khan as the Chairman Ad-Hoc Committee". ESPNcricinfo. 9 September 1999. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Ehsan Mani elected new PCB chairman". The Express Tribune. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
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  26. ^ "Ex-Ranji Trophy player Bashir Basti dies". Dawn (newspaper). 5 January 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Death of Col. Zafar Ahmad condoled". ESPNcricinfo. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Former BCCP secretary Rafi Nasim passes away". Dawn (newspaper). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  29. ^ a b "Arif Ali Khan Abbasi's 'Not a Gentleman's Game' launched". The News International (newspaper). 9 December 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Shahid Rafi may be named secretary". ESPNcricinfo. 17 July 1999. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  31. ^ "PCB to curtail officials' tours". Dawn (newspaper). 3 November 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Abbas Zaidi resigns PCB position". BBC Sport. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  33. ^ "Ex-COO Shafqat Naghmi likely to rejoin PCB". Dawn (newspaper). 29 December 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  34. ^ "Subhan Ahmad, PCB COO: The modest lynchpin". The Nation (newspaper). 23 November 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Faisal Hasnain appointed PCB Chief Executive". Pakistan Cricket Board. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Potential overhaul on the horizon in PCB". Cricket Pakistan. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023. ...restoration of the old constitution led to the dissolution of Faisal Hasnain's role as CEO...
  37. ^ "Pakistan Cricket Board". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  38. ^ "PCB mulls grand awards ceremony". The Nation (newspaper). 29 July 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  39. ^ "Aussie HC wants his team to play in Pakistan". geo.tv. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  40. ^ "No security issue in Pakistan: ACC". The Nation. Pakistan. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  41. ^ "Cricket Comes Home: A trip down the memory lane on international cricket's resumption". cricingif.com.