Najam Sethi has decided to withdraw from the race for the position of Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Sethi, who previously served as the interim committee head appointed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was considered a frontrunner for the PCB chairmanship. However, with the expiration of the interim committee’s tenure and political dynamics at play, Sethi has opted to step back from the contention.

In a statement on Twitter, Sethi expressed his desire to avoid becoming a point of contention between Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Shehbaz Sharif. Given the instability and uncertainty surrounding the situation, Sethi announced that he is not a candidate for the PCB chairmanship, wishing all stakeholders the best of luck.

Zaka Ashraf, a former PCB chairman and supported by the PPP, is expected to be one of the prime minister’s appointed candidates for the role. Sethi had taken charge in December, given the task of revamping the domestic structure of cricket within 120 days as per the 2014 constitution, following the scrapping of the 2019 constitution.

During his tenure, Sethi made significant cricket-related decisions, such as appointing Mickey Arthur as the director of cricket and Grant Bradburn as the head coach. Recently, Morne Morkel, the former South African international, was named the national team’s bowling coach for a six-month period.

One of Sethi’s notable achievements was successfully implementing a hybrid model for the Asia Cup. Despite strained political relations between India and Pakistan, Sethi managed to secure four matches in Pakistan, while the remaining nine games of the Asia Cup will be played in Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 17, accommodating India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the tournament.