ACC’s decision about 2023-24 calendar irks PCB high-ups

ISLAMABAD: The decision of the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) committee to unveil details of the events without the Board’s approval upset the officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with Management Committee’s head Najam Sethi already expressing his concerns over the unconstitutional development.

A well-placed source in the PCB has told ‘The News’ that even a single meeting of the ACC Board was not convened since 2021. How a committee could decide on the ACC’s calendar?

“All the powers of the ACC rest with the ACC Board comprising its Member Countries. Unless and until the Board meets and approves any plan, no such calendar can be termed authentic. No committee not even the Development/Marketing committees have the authority to take the final decision in this regard. The ACC Board is all powerful to decide on such matters. The Board is the final authority and such an announcement can only be made after its approval,” a source within the Board said.

The PCB in the recent times had requested the requisition of the Board meeting especially when ACC President Jay Shah announced taking the Asia Cup to the UAE from the original hosts. Pakistan had expressed its serious reservations over the irresponsible statement without discussing such an important issue in the Board’s meeting. Yet again the ACC has come up with the future calendar without even convening the Board meeting.

PCB Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi expressed his serious reservations about the ACC’s announcement without taking the Board members into confidence. The ACC on Thursday announced the ACC Calendar 2023-24 and the pathway structure. The ACC also expressed its surprise over the reaction of Sethi.

“It has come to our knowledge that PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has made a comment on the ACC president’s unilateral decision regarding finalisation of the calendar and its announcement. The ACC wants to clarify that it has followed the established due process. The calendar was approved by its Development Committee as well as Finance & Marketing Committee in a meeting held on December 13, 2022.

The calendar was then communicated to all the participating members individually including the PCB via an email on December 22. While the responses were also received from certain Member Boards, however no comments or suggested modifications were received from the PCB.”

The PCB’s point of view is that unless and until the ACC Board meets and decides on such important issues, finalising such a roadmap could harm the unity of the ACC’s family.