Ramiz Raja’s chairmanship in peril after Imran Khan exit

The destiny of PCB’s presidency remains unresolved more than a week after Imran Khan and his cabinet were deposed.

Ramiz Raja, the current board chairman, was hand-picked by Imran when he was prime minister last year, having captained Imran in over half of his 255 international matches.

With Imran gone, though, questions over Ramiz’s future have arisen; traditionally, any change of administration has resulted in a change of PCB chairman. And incoming PM Shahbaz Sharif, who also happens to be the PCB’s patron, is said to be considering his possibilities for replacing Ramiz.

The new government, which was formed by a coalition of parties to depose Imran, is squabbling over the formation of a new cabinet, and while cricket is not a top priority, it is expected that changes to the board would be made soon.

As is often the case, a variety of substitute names are being circulated. Among the more notable is Najam Sethi, the former board chairman and a Sharif family friend.

It’s possible that the change at the top isn’t the only one. Following Imran’s departure, a group led by former board members began lobbying the government to return to the prior domestic setup, which included departmental teams like SNGPL and PIA as part of the first-class circuit.

While the new government is busy facing political issues and forming a new cabinet, Ramiz continued his duties.

Recently, he proposed a quad-nation series, which was rejected by the ICC.

He introduced the Junior T20 league.

As the Patron-in-Chief of the PCB, the Prime Minister of the country nominates two members to the governing board. The two are then elected chairman, but in fact, this is really a formality: the chairman is effectively appointed by the Prime Minister.

Although the PCB constitution requires the PM to name someone who is at least a graduate and has not been convicted of any crimes, including fraud or corrupt activities, the job is not based on any specific criterion.

There is no provision in the constitution that allows the patron to remove the chairman who is currently in office. A vote of no confidence in the governing board, which requires a 3/4th majority, is the sole means to dismiss a chairman.

However, it is unusual for the incumbent chairman to stay on if the Patron desires a change. When Imran Khan was elected Prime Minister in 2018, Sethi resigned, allowing Imran to bring in Ehsan Mani.

However, after a change in government in 2014, Zaka Ashraf refused to quit, resulting in then-PM Nawaz Sharif abolishing the board and forming a management committee, which later nominated Sethi as its chairman.

This resulted in a power struggle between Sethi and Ashraf, who fought legal fights in courts and switched positions multiple times before Sethi successfully secured his control with Sharif’s support.

Every new chairman has revised the constitution after taking office in the last three terms; the current constitution was enacted in 2019, making it the fifth since 1995 and the fourth in the last 15 years.