Pakistan fans hail Najam Sethi for his successful efforts to revive cricket in the country

By the time Najam Sethi was made the chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2013, Pakistan had not hosted a single home game in four years. The aftermath of the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus was such that no team was willing to tour to Pakistan. The people of Pakistan were dying to witness international cricket at home again.

But Sethi slowly started improving the state of affairs of a game which is followed religiously in Pakistan. He introduced the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2016 which became an instant hit among the fans. The first tournament was held in the UAE but the finals of the next one, in 2017, was held in Lahore.

The playoffs of the 2018 season along with the final were also hosted in Pakistan. Sethi was trying to advocate that Pakistan is safe to host cricket again. And it worked! A World XI squad toured Pakistan for a 3 T20I series in 2017. After the success of the tournament, West Indies followed suit and visited Pakistan for a T20I series. Brick by brick, Sethi had a remarkable success in bringing international cricket back in Pakistan. But a complete return would take time. Going by the efficiency of Sethi’s administration, it looks inevitable.

After the turn of the millennium, there have been numerous administrators who failed to live up to their promises. Barring Sethi. He is currently working on improving cricketing ties between India and Pakistan which is always a mouthwatering clash for both countries fans. Given how things have turned around in the last two years, a bilateral series between these two arch-rivals can’t be a far-fetched dream.

Apart from the stellar progress, Pakistan have also performed exceptionally well under Sethi’s regime. In the summer of 2016, Pakistan were ranked No.1 in Test cricket for the first time when they drew a four-match Test series in England 2-2. And in 2017, a young Pakistan team lifted the Champions Trophy – their first 50-over ICC trophy in 25 years.

Sethi has been in charge of the PCB for more than half a decade and is already into his second term. Expect a whirlwind change by the time he finishes his term. His appointment of Mickey Arthur as the coach of the national team has augured well for the side. Is he an unsung hero? No. Because fans in Pakistan acknowledge his contributions and regularly support Sethi on Twitter.

Here are some of the tweets:

Exclusive and detailed interview with PCB Chairman Najam Sethi, the man who deserves a lot of credit for the many good things happening currently in Pakistan cricket https://t.co/aG9eyUhvnk

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 7, 2018

Congratulations, Sethi sb. PCB deserve lot of credit for getting things right for this tour. Sending team early for three side matches was a good decision. Well done @u_wahla.

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) May 27, 2018

You did it. Karachi did it. We all did it! Pakistan is back in the game, this time for good. Message sent loud and clear. 🇵🇰

— Roha Nadeem (@RohaNadym) April 3, 2018

Pakistan’s International cricket revival game goes up one step forward as ICC Director Giles Clarke who is attending tonight’s Final in NSK was in full praise of the arrangements, security and overall efforts of Najam Sethi and PCB! Good times ahead.. https://t.co/v79wrHrq5H

— Sawera Pasha (@sawerapasha) March 25, 2018

Its a privilege to be here in Pakistan. Najam Sethi is very courageous in his decision making. We at the ICC fully supported him and he has to be fully congratuklated and of course the army, the government and another important step. ICC director Giles Clarke

— Shahid Hashmi (@hashmi_shahid) March 25, 2018

Very good decision by @najamsethi sb. A serious brainstorming session is needed to improve the system. https://t.co/niqUVmWNtQ

— Aalia Rasheed (@aaliaaaliya) February 17, 2018

I think Mr Najam Sethi doing a good job there no need to change him

— sabeeh Bin Mohsin (@sabeehbin) July 29, 2018

Najam Sethi has done a good job. It would be wrong to remove him.

— Habib Vohra (@Hvohra) July 29, 2018

Do not know about PCB chairman Mr Najam Sethi's future. He did a good a job though bringin cricket home!

— theduke (@theduke49) July 28, 2018

@fawadchaudhry I would sincerely advise to keep Najam Sethi as PCB Chairman. He has done well. Plus he could be a good asset. Also would show that merit is favored over vengeance

— bilal zafar (@zafar00) August 2, 2018

Whether @najamsethi stays or goes, he has done a good job at the cricket board, as well as his well earned reputation as one of the finest journalists in Pakistan and the world.

— Akeley Khush (@akeleykhush) July 31, 2018