Imran Khan Breaks Silence from Jail After Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Elimination

Also read: Pakistan’s Next Coach? Yograj Singh Makes a Bold Statement

Najam Sethi Blames Imran Khan for Pakistan Cricket’s Decline

Imran Khan, the former cricketer-turned-politician, was quoted saying, “Cricket will eventually be destroyed when favourites  are placed in decision making positions. Aleema stated that he had been keeping an eye on the match between Pakistan and their long-standing rivals.

On the other hand, former Pakistan Board chairman Najam Sethi has hinted that Imran Khan’s influence can be traced as a factor in the current struggle of the Pakistan Cricket team. In a post on X, Sethi, who held the Pakistan Cricket Board chair from December 2022 to June 2023, declared that the nation has every right to be upset with the National team’s performance.

The cricket community is buzzing with the viewpoint that Pakistan Cricket has hit an all-time-low. It's hard to believe that a team once proudly stood at the top, ranked No.1 in T20s 2018, in Tests in 2016 and in ODIs in 1990 and 1996, and even attained the World Cup in 1992 and Champions Trophy in 2017, is now being compared to Zimbabwe.

According to Sethi, the decline really started in 2019, that’s why a new management team, led by the Prime Minister Imran Khan and PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, decided to bring about changes. They made drastic modifications in domestic cricket structure, which had been working just fine for decades, implementing an Australian hybrid model that failed to align with local needs. 

Sethi wrote about player power, captain egos and internal team issues, overshadowing mismanaged leadership, resulting in visible negative outcomes. He suggested that Pakistan’s cricketing future outlooks can be improved by acknowledging and applying integrity, experience, knowledge and professionalism. After Imran became Prime Minister, Sethi resigned from PCB, preparing the way for Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president, to take over. In 2019, PCB reformed the domestic cricket structure under Imran’s direction, replacing the old system with a six-team first-class structure. Imran appointed Ramiz Raja as chairman in 2021 after Ehsan Mani declined contract extension. Sethi replaced Ramiz in December 2022 following Imran Khan's government downfall.