PCB amends its constitution

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) constitution has been amended to change the process of appointing the board's chairman and alter the structure of its governing board.

The President of Pakistan, who is the patron of the PCB, still plays the central role in appointing the chairman and the incumbent Zaka Ashraf will hold office until the new constitution is implemented, which is likely to be before June 2013, said report carried by cricinfo.com on Monday.

According to the 22-page document, the President of Pakistan will recommend at least two candidates for the chairman's slot to a four-member nomination committee, which will evaluate them and recommend one to the board of governors, which will have to endorse the appointment unanimously. The board chairman's term has also been extended from three years to four.

The four-member nomination committee will comprise two from the board of governors and two representatives appointed by the President of Pakistan. Previously, the President had the only say in appointing the chairman.

The PCB has been criticised in the past because its constitution allowed the chairman near-dictatorial powers. The amended constitution maintains that status quo. The chairman can control and oversee income and expenditure in accordance with the budget approved by the board of governors.

The composition of the board of governors was also restructured. The 14-member body will include five regional representative selected in rotation, five representatives of service organisations and departments, two non-voting former cricketers appointed on the recommendation of the chairman and two non-voting technocrats picked from a panel of three recommended by the chairman in consultation with the President of Pakistan. The term of each member will be one year.

The PCB is working to implement the new constitution in stages, to avoid any dysfunction in the system.

In 2011, the ICC required that its member boards become autonomous and free of interference from governments by June 2013. Removal of government interference had also been one of the Woolf report recommendations approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The new constitution was produced as a result of the ICC directive and was approved on February 13, vetted by the Ministry of Law on the suggestion of the PCB and ICC feedback.

However, in November 2012, ICC said it was reviewing its stance against government's involvement in the administration of cricket.

In Pakistan, the country's President appoints the PCB chairman and must approve the appointment of the governing board members. The President also has the power to relieve the chairman of his post.

The draft of the constitution was shared with the ICC before its finalization and according to a PCB official most of the feedback from the ICC had been incorporated.

"The ICC has worked closely with the PCB on this matter, including by reviewing the proposed constitutional provisions in respect of the appointment of the President and providing feedback to the PCB for further consideration by the Pakistan government," an ICC spokesman said, reported the website.