The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday, May 14 took a surprising step and sacked all the five team mentors who were appointed during the inaugural season of the Champions One-Day Cup. The mentors that got sacked include former Pakistan captains Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq. The other there mentors who were dismissed by the PCB are Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq and Sarfaraz Ahmed.
PCB fires five team mentors during Champions One-Day Cup
According to www.telecomasia.net, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was informed about the performance of the mentors during a meeting. They had been appointed last year and reportedly, were getting paid a monthly salary of Pakistani rupees 5 million.
“Apparently, at the briefing, the consensus was that the money spent on the mentors was not being justified as they had not delivered anything of value until now,” the source told www.telecomasia.net.
“The huge amount of money also has its implications, with fears that the International Cricket Council's annual funding to the PCB may be reduced. There is concern that television rights for Pakistan's international matches might fetch lower bids in the upcoming cycle from 2028 to 2032, which further limits the board’s financial bandwidth,” the source added.
The PCB reportedly told the team mentors to spend a certain number of days with their respective domestic teams. However, they were allowed to take up media roles and other assignments as well.
The source further stated that the PCB was unhappy with Shoaib Malik's decision to play in the National Team Championship and lead Sialkot instead of focusing on his role of mentor.
The decision of suddenly sacking all five team mentors can prove to be fatal for the domestic sides involved. Though the step taken by PCB is quite surprising, the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken many such drastic measures in the past as well.
Out of the five mentors, Malik had already informed the PCB about his decision of stepping away from the mentor role. The former Pakistan all-rounder came under criticism for frequently appearing as an analyst on television during the Pakistan Super League and ICC Champions Trophy rather than fulfilling his responsibilities as a mentor.
"We are not PCB’s employees," Malik had said during an appearance on Pakistan Television.