‘Spent sleepless nights’ – Wasim Khan on bringing international cricket back to Pakistan

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan said that he was faced with a big challenge of bringing international cricket back to Pakistan after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team. On September 30, Khan resigned from his position after reportedly developing some differences with Ramiz Raja, the newly-appointed chairman of the PCB.

Back in 2019, Khan was appointed as the CEO after he served four years as the chief in Leicestershire. His contract was set to end in 2022, but Khan decided to move away prior to that. On his stint, Khan said that he had always worked for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan.

“Unfortunately, my time at the Pakistan Cricket Board has come to an end,” Khan wrote in a post on LinkedIn, Geo TV reported.

“As a British Pakistani and a former professional cricketer, I committed to moving to Pakistan just under 3 years ago, so that I could contribute to improving the global image of the PCB and the country. My aim was to contribute to the betterment of the game under the spotlight of a cricket crazed nation of 220 million people,” he stated.

I will feel nothing but gratitude and love for the fans of Pakistan, says Wasim Khan

It took Pakistan six years to bring international cricket back to their country. Back in 2015, Zimbabwe toured the nation followed by Sri Lanka, World XI, Bangladesh and South Africa. Khan said that he had gone through sleepless nights to bring sanity back to Pakistan cricket.

“Bringing International cricket back, mixed in with sleepless nights dealing with crisis management, or averting a potential crisis, and navigating through highly politically charged situations were just part and parcel of the exhilaration that came with the role,” Khan quipped.

He also expressed gratitude to the Pakistan fans for being supportive in the tumultuous times. “In a couple of weeks’ time when I fly out of Lahore, heading back to England, I know that I will feel nothing but gratitude and love for the fans of Pakistan,” he added.

Pakistan cricket was recently jolted with a blow after New Zealand and England backed off from their respective tours.