Zaka Ashraf stepped down as the chairperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee late Friday (Jan 19) evening. Ashraf, who succeeded former chief Najam Sethi tendered his resignation during the board’s management committee meeting in Lahore. With general elections set to take place in the nation in February, it will be interesting to see who takes the job next with Pakistan cricket already going through a chaotic period both on and off the field.

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Zaka Ashraf steps down

Having taken charge of his office in June 2023 after chaos in the election of the new PCB chairman, Ashraf’s reign started with a set of tough challenges. It is reported that Ashraf handed his resignation to Patron Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who had previously handed the committee a three-month extension to oversee the elections for the vacant role of PCB chairman and finalising the Board of Governors “at the earliest.”

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“In his concluding remarks, Mr Zaka Ashraf thanked the honourable Patron PCB for the confidence and trust reposed by him and extended his best wishes and prayers for the betterment of Pakistan and Pakistan cricket,” the release read.

Ashraf’s brief tenure as the head of the Management Committee will go down for controversial moments. He blamed national team skipper Babar Azam during the ODI World Cup for the side’s dismal run during the tournament in India while he ordered to leak Whatsapp chats. The chats televised on national television were between Babar and an official from the PCB which was shown after Ashraf’s permission.

The poor post-World Cup environment in the cricketing circle of the nation also forced Inzamam-ul-Haq to resign from his post of chief selector. Things went from bad to worse during Ashraf’s tenure when Babar stepped down from his leadership role with Shan Massod (Test) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (T20I) taking charge.

They also dismissed the coaching staff led by then-Director Mickey Arthur. The South African and his team were moved to the National Cricket Academy before he handed his resignation.

The changes at the board level have seen Pakistan’s on-field form also face a huge setback. The Men in Green have lost the Test series against Australia 3-0 and trail New Zealand 4-0 in the five-match T20I series. 

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