PCB fails in court attempt to get 'full powers' for 'acting chairman' Najam Sethi

The Islamabad High Court on Monday did not take up PCB's appeal against the court order that barred caretaker chairman Najam Sethi from using his full powers in the functioning of the board, further increasing uncertainty in Pakistan cricket.

According to The Nation, Sethi, last week, had made it clear that if the divisional bench would not hear the Board's appeal, he would talk to the Prime Minister and submit his resignation.

He expressed that he couldn't continue to work in an environment where he had been paralyzed by the July judgment of the IHC, which stopped him from using his full powers as chairman of the board while hearing out a writ constitutional petition, the report said.

An official source further confirmed that the chairman was keen to carry out operational decisions in the board by bringing in new people and sidelining the old ones, but he couldn't do this because of the IHC judgments, the report added.

The PCB recently extended the contract of national team bowling coach M Akram for the South African tour and also asked Moin Khan to continue as manager while giving two one-month extensions to the national selectors, the report further said.

The board is also in a quandary over the holding of elections for the chairman's post since the IHC judgment had stated that elections must be held by October 18, an official said.