PESHAWAR: Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, demanded Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to resign immediately.
The development comes after Naqvi said that the Green Shirts require “major surgery” after their bad performance in the T20 World Cup which led to their elimination from the tournament.
“It seemed that a minor surgery would work but after this bad performance, I’m now sure that a major surgery is required. The nation will soon see a major overhaul,” said Naqvi.
In their three matches played so far, Pakistan have lost to the US and India, while they managed to secure a win against Canada. However, it was not enough to keep them in the run for the Super Eight round.
The team will play its final match against Ireland today, eyeing to win the man and end their dismal tournament campaign on a positive note.
Barrister Saif, while speaking about Naqvi’s statement, said that he started a controversy.
“Mohsin Naqvi, the Sharif family, and the group of conspirators should undergo major surgery,” said the KP CM on X, adding that sports should be free from politics.
Saif said that this could be expected from a board headed by Naqvi, alleging that the “conspirators” gave him the chairman’s post by stealing the mandate. “The incompetent group has hurt the sentiments of the cricket fans,” he added.
The KP CM adviser said that the PCB chairman should be a professional and responsible person.
A day earlier, the PCB decided to review central contracts after the team’s embarrassing early exit from the mega tournament.
Following the late-night consultations headed by Naqvi and the board officials, as per the sources, players with poor performances are expected to be demoted with regard to their central contracts in the first phase.
Meanwhile, several others are likely to lose their central contracts altogether, the sources added.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s viral internet celebrity and singer Chahat Fateh Ali Khan wants to replace Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, in order to make the national team win matches.
The Babar Azam-led Men in Green are under severe criticism following their exit from the ICC T20 World Cup, and there is a lot of talk about the country’s cricket authorities as well.
On the other hand, Chahat, who is a former first-class cricketer, said that he is ready to become the PCB chief as he has “the experience” and “the plan”.
In his first interview with Geo News after returning to the United Kingdom from Pakistan where he went viral for his song Bado Badi, Chahat shared his views on the national team’s disappointing performance and asked the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi to consider stepping aside to make way for him.
He addressed a press conference here with director and producer Faraz Ahmed to promote the social media film ‘Sabaq’, which is his acting debut as a lead. The film was released on Chahat’s YouTube channel on Eid ul Adha. –Agencies
