PCB official takes leave to help out USA Cricket

Shoaib Naveed, a long-standing member of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has taken a leave of absence from his official duties to provide consultation and assistance to USA Cricket.

Naveed has been working in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in various positions for many years. From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Project manager of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). From 2016 to 2020, he held the responsibility of COO at Islamabad United. He also worked as Manager of Marketing and Sales for the PSL.

In 2019, he took charge as the Project Executive for PSL and fulfilled his duties for a year. In December 2020, Shoaib decided to step away from his role with the league, and PCB also issued a press release in this regard. However, surprisingly, he immediately returned as Head of Broadcast rights, Production, and Emerging platforms. 

According to sources, he is currently providing consultation USA Cricket regarding Major Cricket League and other matters, and he will be compensated for it. PCB, deviating from the rules, granted Shoaib Naveed a three-month long leave. It is unknown whether he will receive his salary from the board during this period or not.

Special permission was granted to him by League Commissioner, PCB, Naila Bhatti. Other employees are also questioning how he was granted permission to work for another board and can be granted such long leave. In the past, when a woman requested a long leave before going to Canada, it was denied. 

The sources further revealed that former PCB chairman, Najam Sethi appointed Shoaib Naveed as General Manager for PSL before leaving. However, no official announcement was made regarding this. Due to his close association with Islamabad United, conflicts of interest may also arise. 

When Cricket Pakistan representative tried to reach out to Naveed to get his perspective, he did not respond to the phone call or the message.