Sethi lobbying for Abbasi to become new PCB chief

Karachi: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has started seeking influence for Arif Ali Khan Abbasi as the new chairman of the board, as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has failed to appoint an ad hoc chairman of the board.

On July 21 the double-bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court had ordered Sharif, who is a patron of the PCB, to appoint an ad hoc chairman of PCB and an election commissioner within seven days and hold fresh elections for the top slot inside 30 days, but the prime minister failed to do so. Meanwhile, sources revealed that Sethi has put his weight behind ex-PCB chief Abbasi and also met him in Karachi to offer him his support as the next chairman of the cricket board, The Dawn reported. Since Sethi is quite close to the prime minister, his recommendation for the next PCB chairman would carry a lot of weight. The sources say that Sethi is quite keen to have such a person as the next PCB chairman who could endorse his policies and uphold the many decisions taken during his tenure. The sources further revealed that Abbasi is most likely to accept all terms and conditions put forward by Sethi in order to get elected as the new chairman.