Analyst Hamid Mir has predicted the end of Zaka Ashraf’s tenure as the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board after caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar gave the charge of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) ministry to Fawad Hasan Fawad on Tuesday.

“At last care taker PM given the charge of IPC Ministry to Fawad Hasan Fawad. This is the beginning of the end of Zaka Ashraf’s black period in PCB,” he wrote on X while sharing the notification of Fawad’s appointment.

It is pertinent to mention that the functions of the IPC ministry include general coordination between the federal government and the provinces in economic, social, and administrative fields.

The body also acts as a conduit between the PCB and the government.

Fawad, who had been principal secretary to former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, is also the caretaker Minister for Privatisation.

Ashraf’s current tenure as the PCB chief has been marred with controversies starting with Pakistan’s dismal performance in the World Cup 2023 held in India where the Greenshirts failed to qualify for the semi-final. They were also defeated by Afghanistan for the first time in an ODI match.

The then-chief selector Inzamamul Haq also resigned from his post, almost three months after his appointment for the crucial post. Haq’s resignation came in the middle of the World Cup after reports claimed that he was a shareholder in a company owned by a players’ agent.

Later, PCB attracted criticism from former cricketers and journalists after a screenshot of then-skipper Babar Azam’s correspondence with a board official was shown on live TV.

Azam announced his resignation from captaincy across all formats soon after meeting Ashraf on his return to the country.

Despite the controversies, PM Kakar gave a three-month extension to the Ashraf on November 5.

The PCB was once again blasted by several after Wahab Riaz, who was appointed chief selector after Haq’s resignation, appointed tainted former batter Sulman Butt his consultant.

However, he was fired by the chief selector the very next day from the position after social media erupted with criticism and condemnation.

“Salman Butt was made my consultant only to give his opinion, however, a few media houses and people spread propaganda to mess things up. Resultantly, I am reverting that decision and have already told him that he cannot be part of my team,” Riaz said during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on December 2.