Pakistan’s disappointing exit from the Champions Trophy is set to have significant ramifications. Rana Sanaullah, advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stated in an interview that the Prime Minister will take notice of structural discrepancies within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), led by Mohsin Naqvi.
In a fiery interview with Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Sanaullah expressed his frustration with the PCB’s inability to deliver results despite its autonomy. He highlighted the board’s limitless spending on the Champions Cup, which had a budget of 900 million Pakistani rupees.
“The cricket board is an independent institution. They can do as they please, which they have. And what they’ve done, it is my personal opinion that I will request the prime minister to discuss the matter in the cabinet and parliament,” Rana Sanaullah said.
“This is not about any particular instance, or about any one chairman being appointed. This is a process that you can see has been happening for the past five or 10 years,” he added.
Sanaullah emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, stating, “The expenditure happening at a higher level should be brought in front of the country and parliament.”
Pakistan overspent their budget for the Champions Trophy significantly due to the renovation of their three stadiums in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi. According to a PTI report, Pakistan had initially planned to spend PKR 12.3 billion on renovation costs, but the final expenditure exceeded the budget by nearly 6 billion PKR.
Sanaullah also criticized the Champions Cup, the brainchild of PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, which aimed to elevate the standards of domestic players in Pakistan. He claimed that the five mentors of the Champions Cup teams were unaware of their responsibilities and were essentially being paid for doing nothing.
“Mentors are being paid PKR 5 million and have been heard admitting to the media that they are unaware of their responsibilities, so they’ve been taking PKR 5 million monthly for not working,” Sanaullah said.
“If you see their perks and privileges, you will be surprised, and you’ll wonder if this is Pakistan or some progressive European nation. These are all things that the Prime Minister himself will take notice of,” he concluded.
The Pakistan cricket team has been in a downward spiral over the past couple of years. Since their 2022 T20 World Cup final appearance, Pakistan has faced group-stage exits in all three ICC tournaments. Major changes are expected in the team management and the PCB.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story and the future of Pakistan cricket.
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