Winds of change sweep through Pakistan cricket board

Former chairman Najam Sethi to head new interim committee as Ramiz Raja's tenure ends after England Test series defeat

Ramiz Raja has been removed as PCB chairman. EPA

The Pakistan government removed Ramiz Raja as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board days after the Test series whitewash at the hands of England, and reappointed Najam Sethi as the head of a new 14-member interim management committee.

The government also repealed the constitution of the PCB and restored it to the 2014 position, with the aim of bringing back regional departments into the fold of domestic cricket.

"The Management Committee will work tirelessly to revive first class cricket. Thousands of cricketers will be employed again. The famine in cricket will come to an end," Sethi said on social media.

"Thank you all cricket enthusiasts for welcoming change in PCB affairs. Please wish our team good luck going forward. There is a lot of work to be done and some undone."

Sethi served as PCB chairman between 2013-2018 before being replaced by Ehsan Mani after former captain Imran Khan took over as country’s Prime Minister.

Mani abolished departmental cricket from the circuit and reduced it to six provincial-based teams. However, several cricketers and former governing board members urged the government to bring back departments in domestic cricket as they had well-established history and pedigree.

Moreover, abolishing the role of government departments and private entities in first-class cricket left many unemployed.

A change had been on the cards since April, when Khan was ousted as Prime Minister and replaced by Sharif.

The 14-member committee also includes former men's and women's team captains Shahid Afridi and Sana Mir.

The move came as New Zealand returned to Pakistan on Thursday to play two Tests and three ODIs, a year after abandoning their tour over a security threat.

The arrival of the Kiwis comes just days after England whitewashed Pakistan in the three-match Test series - the first time Pakistan had lost by such a margin at home.

New Zealand sparked deep frustration in Pakistan in September last year when they failed to show up at Rawalpindi Stadium and announced they were flying home.

They rescheduled the visit after Australia's successful tour in March, which was followed by two visits by England.

The current 15-man New Zealand squad is led by veteran fast bowler Tim Southee and they will begin the tour with the first Test in Karachi from Monday.

The second Test is in Multan from January 3, followed by One-Day Internationals on January 10, 12 and 14 in Karachi.

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