Najam Sethi on Pakistan Asia Cup boycott meeting: 'Wasn’t planning to help Mohsin Naqvi, went to help PCB'

Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, center, speaks as former cricket board heads Najam Sethi, left, and Ramiz Raja watch during a press conference regarding the Asia Cup tournament, in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP Photo)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would have lost $15 million if they pulled out of the ongoing Asian Cup. And going beyond just the hard numbers, they could have suffered “irreparable damage”. The fear factor eventually forced PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi to retract his decision and fall in line.

Two former PCB chiefs, Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja, played their part to ensure better sense eventually prevailed. Naqvi, who is also the ACC president, was sort of hell-bent on boycotting the Asia Cup following the controversial handshake incident in the India-Pakistan group league fixture. The Pakistan players and support staff were even ordered to deboard the team bus before their final group league game against UAE. Naqvi changed his decision following an emergency meeting with Sethi and Raja, and the match eventually got underway an hour late.

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“If what he (Naqvi) was attempting had succeeded, Pakistan would have suffered irreparable damage. We could have been sanctioned by the Asian Cricket Council, penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC), foreign players might have refused to play in the PSL, and we stood to lose $15 million in ACC broadcasting rights,” Sethi disclosed on Samaa TV.

He explained his decision to interfere. “In the heat of the moment, Mohsin Naqvi had decided to withdraw from the Asia Cup. My friends told me, ‘Don’t go, don’t help them’. I wasn’t even planning to help Naqvi. I went to help the Pakistan Cricket Board,” said Sethi.

Over the last few days, the Asia Cup has witnessed a lot of off-the-field drama, with Pakistan taking centrestage. The PCB alleged that the ICC match referee Andy Pycroft violated the ‘Spirit of the Game’ in the handshake issue. They later claimed that Pycroft apologised before agreeing to play against UAE. The ICC, meanwhile, stood firm and rebuffed Pakistan’s demand that Pycroft be removed. The Zimbabwean was the match referee for the Pakistan versus UAE game as well.

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Now, the ICC has accused the PCB of a protocol breach, as a member of the Pakistan team staff filmed a private meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team officials. The PCB has countered it by saying no regulation had debarred them from filming the meeting.

Against this backdrop, India and Pakistan are going to meet again, in a Super Four clash on Sunday.