Sports Minister Najamuddin Khan declared himself as the acting Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and decided to attend next month's Executive Board meeting of the ICC in Dubai.
KARACHI: Sports Minister Najamuddin Khan on Monday declared himself as the acting Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and decided to attend next month's Executive Board meeting of the International Cricket Council in Dubai.
Officials in the Board and Sports Ministry said that Najamuddin would attend the ICC meeting on October 14 and 15 in the absence of a Chairman.
"The Sports Ministry says since only a member of the Board can attend the ICC meeting and not a paid employee he would go," one official said.
"Since the key positions of the Director Cricket Operations, Chief Operating Officer and Director Administration are all paid positions. So he says they can't go," the official added.
The ICC Board meeting is important for Pakistan as it would deliberate new dates for the Champions Trophy that was postponed this month.
The ICC Board is due to find a new window for the eight-nation tournament sometime in 2009.
The Board is also due to listen to Chairman David Morgan's report on talks with the rebel Indian Cricket League.
"When the last Sports Ministry was held to discuss cricket affairs Najamuddin made it clear he will now take all key decisions as he was acting Chairman of the board until the President appointed a new Chairman," one source said.
The PCB has been without a Chairman since last month when the resignation of former President Pervez Musharraf also led to the exit of Nasim Ashraf as head of the Cricket Board.
President Asif Zardari is due to name a new Chairman in his capacity as chief patron of the Board but sources say with the Sports Minister and his ministry now getting more involved in cricket affairs the new appointment could easily enough be delayed for an indefinite period.
The Sports Ministry has taken up monitoring of the day to day operations of the PCB and says this will continue till a new Chairman is appointed.
The Ministry also recently set up a 15-member cricket committee to make amendments in the PCB constitution to make it more democratic and transparent.
Sources said Najamuddin had made it clear to the present officials of the Board that only he was authorised to take major decisions and will attend the ICC meeting.
"There is also word that when the Board recently advertised a position for general manager international cricket affairs, the Sports Minister sent his man for the position but the sitting Director cricket operations, Zakir Khan rejected him," one source said.
"The Minister now also wants some of his people put into the board on PCB expenses," he said.
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