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Najam Sethi (former PCB Chairman) emphasises changes in management and political intervention as reasons behind the fall of the team.
New Delhi: Imran Khan, the captain of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning team, faced criticism for the country’s dwindling cricket performance following a disappointing early exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy. This tournament marks Pakistan’s first time hosting an ICC event in 29 years.
The team led by Mohammad Rizwan was eliminated from the tournament only five days after it began. The defending champions suffered a defeat in their opening match against New Zealand, losing by 60 runs in Karachi. Subsequently, they were defeated by their long-time rivals India by six wickets in Dubai.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi attributed the decisions made by the new PCB management to the appointment of Imran Khan as the country’s Prime Minister. Imran Khan held the position from August 2018 until April 2022. It is important to mention that the Prime Minister of Pakistan serves as the Patron-In-Chief of the PCB.
Shortly after Imran’s election as Prime Minister, Ehsan Mani assumed the role of chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Subsequently, in 2021, Ramiz Raja became the chairman.
Sethi stated that Pakistan altered its domestic framework, which had been effective for many years, and adopted a hybrid model similar to that of Australia.
“The nation is justifiably angry. The cricket fraternity says Pakistan has hit rock bottom. How come a cricket team that was once #1 in T20s (2018) and Tests (2016) and ODIs (1990 and 1996), which won the WC in 1992 and CT in 2017, is today equated with Zimbabwe?
The decline began in 2019 when a new management team, led by a new Prime Minister and Patron, altered the domestic cricket framework that had effectively supported Pakistan for many years, opting instead for an unsuitable Australian hybrid model. Political meddling persisted, and inconsistent PCB policies became commonplace. Foreign coaches were brought in and dismissed, selectors were appointed arbitrarily, and former players who had been set aside were brought back to mentor and manage, Sethi noted on X.
“Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling managements! The horrible result is before us. We can certainly restore our cricket fortunes if we recognise the nature of the problems and marshal the integrity, experience, knowledge and professionalism required to do the job,” Sethi added.
Sethi held the position of chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) twice. His first term was from June 2013 to January 2014, and he resumed the role again from December 2022 to June 2023.
Imran has been incarcerated since August 2023 due to various charges. The former captain of Pakistan is considered one of the greatest all-rounders and leaders in the history of cricket.
Pakistan’s early elimination from the 2025 Champions Trophy marks the third consecutive ICC tournament in which the team has been ousted in the opening round, following their exits in the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
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