Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday denied reports that chairman Mohsin Naqvi is stepping down from his role following his appointment as president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
The PCB termed the reports “baseless.”
Speculations have been rife since last week in Pakistan cricket circles that Naqvi had sent his resignation to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the board’s patron-in-chief.
The reports suggested that Naqvi decided to step down after Pakistan’s poor show in New Zealand where they lost the T20I series 1-4 and the ODI rubber 0-3, weeks after their disastrous outing in the Champions Trophy.
The name of Najam Sethi has cropped up as Naqvi’s successor.
“There is no truth to the reports about Mr. Naqvi’s resignation,” a PCB official said.
“He continues to perform his duties as PCB chairman and remains fully committed to the development of Pakistan cricket.”
Naqvi, who also serves as the country’s interior minister, was elected unopposed as the ACC president earlier this month, becoming the first Pakistani to hold the post since 2008.
The official further clarified that dual responsibilities in the PCB and ACC are “not unprecedented and can be managed with effective time management.”
“It is an honour for Pakistan that our representative is leading the ACC. Mohsin Naqvi has no intention of stepping down from the PCB at this stage,” a PCB statement said.
