Usman Wahla appointed PCB's Head of International Cricket as Zakir Khan departs

Zakir Khan has now lost his role as Director International Cricket in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Last month, PCB had extended his contract by a month due to the recently-concluded limited-overs series against New Zealand. Zakir, who has worked with the PCB for over two decades, was set to leave the role with his contract expiring on April 3, 2023.

The 60-year-old has now been hired as Special Projects Consultant. However, it is interesting to note, that there is no such project in progress right now.

Zakir is supposedly a very close friend of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In the past, when Najam Sethi became the PCB chairman, Zakir was side-lined, but during this time, he was getting a regular salary without any work. This move was made to avoid Imran Khan's possible displeasure over the scenario.

A similar scenario will be followed in this tenure as well. Zakir will also be kept busy managing the U-19 teams.

Meanwhile, Usman Wahla, who is the Head of Pakistan Super League (PSL), has also been appointed as PCB's Head of International Cricket.

According to sources, a wave of changes is now taking place rapidly in the PCB. Earlier this month, PCB also sacked Nadeem Khan, who was recently removed from the post of Director High Performance and transferred to the Women's Wing, and his salary was almost halved.

After Nadeem Khan, another director is also on the hit list. Several recommendations have been made for him as well, but his poor track record is acting as a road block. Despite receiving a 50% salary cut, he is currently busy trying to win the approval of some top officials. However, he could be sacked soon as his replacement has already started working.