Bazid frontrunner for PCB top job

Monitoring Desk

LAHORE: Pakistan’s former top-order batsman Bazid Khan has emerged as the frontrunner for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) High Performance Centre (HPC)’s top job.

According to sources, Bazid, who is a renowned commentator and son of former Pakistan opening batsman Majid Khan, is likely to take charge of HPC — which is set to be formed after combining departments of Domestic Cricket and National Academies. The 39-year-old played one Test and five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for Pakistan over the course of his brief career.

Former Test spinner Nadeem Khan is also in the running for the position, although it must be noted that he had been appointed as the coordinator of the National Selection Committee in October, 2019.

The PCB has made a habit of issuing advertisement, for job openings, after finalising the candidate and this is something which is likely to happen in this case as well.

PCB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan wanted to bring in someone from England for the role but the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced them to turn towards a local individual.

Also six domestic coaches are likely to lose their jobs as they did not have much to do in the new cricket structure introduced by the PCB this season.     

A lot of changes are expected in the PCB with new faces likely to take over the key areas in the upcoming few months.

Director Academies Mudassar Nazar has already confirmed that he will not be seeking an extension to his contract, when it expires on May 31, 2020. Sources have confirmed that some officials in PCB’s top brass were not in favour of Nazar working with the PCB.

Senior General Manager Academies Ali Zia also had to vacate his position, after allegations of collecting fees from a PSL franchise during a coaching course in Multan. The investigation is ongoing, in this regard, but no progress has been made so far.

Senior General Manager Domestic Cricket Shafiq Ahmed and Chief Operator Officer (COO) Subhan Ahmed have also left PCB, amid a slew of changes.

Chief Curator Agha Zahid and Haroon Rashid, Director Domestic Cricket, will also leave the PCB when their contracts expire on April 30 and May 31, respectively.