PCB announces withdrawal of service termination notices

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday said it has withdrawn termination of service notices served to 55 staffers earlier this week.

"The vast overstaffing that the current board has inherited remains a long-term sustainability issue for the PCB. Making changes is about timing and, on reflection, the process and communication needed to be better.

"As a responsible organisation, we have reviewed our decision and acted quickly to withdraw the notices," PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the PCB said it will continue the exercise to restructure and rationalise its staff numbers and will make necessary decisions in due course, the statement added.

The PCB presently has an overall strength of 710 across the country, including 361 and 70 in Lahore and Karachi offices, respectively.

The PCB recently announced the appointments of former New Zealand cricketer Grant Bradburn as Head of High Performance Coaching and former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq as Head of International Player Development as part of the prestigious High Performance Centres restructuring.

In addition to the two former Test cricketers, LUMS graduate Asser Malik, who has a wide-ranging experience with various multi-national companies, has been confirmed as High Performance Operations Manager.

Saqlain, also a Level III coach, has previously worked as a spin bowling coach with Bangladesh, West Indies and England men's cricket teams, apart from serving as a consultant for PCB, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket.