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Goal looks at the best and worst from men's soccer in the region this year including Mexico's Gold Cup stars and Honduras' roller-coaster season

FREDERIC J. BROWNBest Player – Raul Jimenez, Mexico

What a year for Raul Jimenez. He scored eight goals for Mexico, including five during the Gold Cup when he helped lead El Tri to the regional title.

With his club, he's been unstoppable as well, helping Wolves push into the knockout stages of the Europa League and also playing a big role in upsets over teams like Manchester City.

With eight goals in Premier League play, Jimenez sits just outside the top 10 in the Premier League. Combine his nine Europa League goals, though, and you'll begin to understand why he was the most important Concacaf player in Europe this season and is Mexico's No. 9 for the foreseeable future.

AdvertisementFrederic J. BrownCoach of the Year – Marc Collat, Haiti

Marc Collat's Haiti ended the year on a bitter note, getting relegated from its Concacaf Nations League group. Yet, you have to understand the challenges with which Collat is working.

Haiti wasn't able to play its second set of CNL matches at home because of political turmoil in the country, and already the manager is pulling players from all over the globe.

Now, the path back to the Gold Cup involves extra qualification. So why is Collat the Coach of the Year? Because in this year's Gold Cup, Haiti was the story of the tournament, getting into the semifinals and pushing eventual champion Mexico to extra time.

They did it thanks to strong game plans from Collat and a collective mentality the coach instituted despite cultural and language barriers few other teams have to overcome.

Getty ImagesBreakout Star – Charly Rodriguez, Mexico

Carlos Rodriguez already is such a fixture with the Mexico national team that it's difficult to remember that his debut came in this calendar year. With Hector Herrera out of a March friendly, Rodriguez stepped into the void and didn't look at all out of place in a 3-1 win against Chile.

His showings with Monterrey also have been quality, with the 22-year-old midfielder impressing during the Club World Cup and eventually lifting the Liga MX title with Rayados.

Now, he's being asked questions about heading to Europe, something that would only help him become a bigger star in the region.

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GettyFuture star flying under the radar – Jonathan David, Canada

Jonathan David was the Golden Boot winner at this summer's Gold Cup with six goals in four matches.

He scored a dozen goals with Gent last year, a mark he's set to surpass with nine already this season. Oh, and he's 19. Why are we not talking more about this guy?

Sure, the Gold Cup goal tally was run up thanks to a hat-trick against a hapless Cuba, but as Canada pushes to make the World Cup in 2022 before hosting four years later, we're going to be seeing David have plenty of success against more formidable teams in the very near future.

Chelsea’s academy churns out some of the best young footballers in world football – here are the most promising talents born after January 1, 2000

Getty Images1Callum Hudson-Odoi

Now on the verge of an England senior debut after five goals and four assists for Chelsea this season, Callum Hudson-Odoi has well and truly announced himself as one of world football’s best youngsters.

The 18-year-old winger is blessed with incredible raw talent, able to beat his man at will, to both create and finish chances.

He was even at the centre of a January transfer tussle as Chelsea fought to resist the advances of Bayern Munich, who bid £35 million for their academy product.

Despite the youngster handing in a transfer request, the Blues hope to persuade Hudson-Odoi to renew his deal – which expires in June 2020 – by offering him around £85,000 a week.

Hudson-Odoi is certainly ready to become a major player at Stamford Bridge, as underlined by the fact that he ranked third in Goal's 2019 NxGn list.

AdvertisementGetty2Ethan Ampadu

Just like Hudson-Odoi, Ethan Ampadu has established himself as a regular member of the Chelsea first-team squad under Maurizio Sarri this season.

The versatile defender, who can also play in midfield, made his Blues debut under Antonio Conte, though, not long after being signed from Exeter City, where he had made his senior bow at just 15.

Ampadu has struggled to progress under Sarri but time is on his side and he has already shown what a class act he is by impressing for Wales at senior international level.

Getty Images3Billy Gilmour

In 2017, Chelsea beat a host of top clubs to the signing of Rangers academy product Billy Gilmour, who cost an initial £600,000, with the potential of further add-ons.

Gilmour is presently proving his worth in Chelsea's youth system, showing himself to be a uniquely-gifted midfield technician, one who is already lining out for the Under-23s at just 17.

Scotland Under-21s have already called up the youngster, who has been described by some as the best talent his nation has produced in a generation, as well as earning comparisons with Cesc Fabregas for his intelligent and creative style of play.

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Getty Images4Tino Anjorin

A goal on his Under-23 debut at just 16 announced Tino Anjorin as a force to be reckoned with at youth level.

This came after he also got his first taste of Under-18s football last season, even scoring after coming off the bench in the FA Youth Cup final against Arsenal.

Anjorin is getting bigger and stronger as he gets older, combining his technical skill as an attacking midfielder with impressive physical attributes.

He now hopes to maintain his Frank Lampard-like midfield goal record when he eventually steps up to senior level.

The winger scored twice before Diogo Jota added a thumping third goal as Jurgen Klopp's men bounced back after a couple of disappointing results

Mohamed Salah just loves Anfield! The prolific winger became the first player to ever score in Liverpool's first six home games of a season in Sunday's facile 3-0 win over Brentford as the hosts climbed to second in the Premier League standings – for the time being at least.

Salah, who has now been involved in 119 goals in his last 117 outings at Anfield, opened the scoring after taking a Darwin Nunez pass in his stride towards the tail end of the first half and then doubled the Reds' advantage with a fine header from Kostas Tsimikas' cut-back. Diogo Jota completed the scoring with a thumping finish from the edge of the area 16 minutes from time.

Below, GOAL rates all of the Liverpool players on show as Jurgen Klopp's men bounced back from a lucky 1-1 draw at Luton last week, and Thursday's shock Europa League loss in Toulouse…

Getty Goalkeeper & Defence

Alisson Becker (7/10):

Made a couple of decent stops when called upon.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):

Very nearly gifted Brentford a goal with a shocking pass in the first half but was very impressive going forward, playing his part in the opener, while a stunning pass deserved a better finish from Salah.

Joel Matip (6/10):

Harshly booked but perhaps a tad lucky to avoid a second yellow early in the second half. A decent display but still looks like an accident waiting to happen.

Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

A characteristically assured performance. Really does look to be back to something approaching his best. Indeed, he saved a certain goal with one fantastic clearance.

Kostas Tsimikas (8/10):

Retained his starting spot despite giving away a goal in midweek and turned in his most impressive performance in a red shirt for some time, contributing two assists.

AdvertisementGetty Midfield

Dominik Szoboszlai (6/10):

One of his quieter performances since arriving during the summer.

Wataru Endo (6/10):

Got a rare chance to start in the Premier League because of Alexis Mac Allister's suspension and was good on the ball for the most part. However, a poor first touch resulted in a desperate lunge that very nearly earned him a red card.

Cody Gakpo (6/10):

Once again started in midfield because of Liverpool's injury issues but while he worked hard, and had a couple of efforts from distance, he was once again largely ineffective in a deeper role. Subbed late on.

Getty Attack

Mohamed Salah (9/10):

Lethal as always! Was no chance of him missing after being slipped in by Nunez and took his header wonderfully well. Just a class act.

Darwin Nunez (7/10):

Deserved to get on the scoresheet after having two goals chalked off for offside. Still, he got yet another assist for Salah with a nice lay-off.

Diogo Jota (8/10):

A constant threat and got his just reward for an energetic display with a fine strike from distance that flew into the back of the net.

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GettySubstitutes & Manager

Harvey Elliott (N/A):

Only came on late for Jota.

Luis Diaz (N/A):

Received a rapturous welcome when introduced in place of Jota but not enough time to make an impact.

Jarell Quansah (N/A):

Brought on in the dying seconds.

James McConnel (N/A):

Made his debut in injury time.

Jurgen Klopp (8/10):

A routine win and his hand was forced by injuries but the manager got all his big calls correct.

Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton21-Dec-2013Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours to ensure New Zealand remained within touching distance of West Indies’ competitive first-innings total. A couple of hours later it was shaping as a match-winning innings after a dramatic final session.Taylor’s run-fest over the last few weeks has given him 493 runs in the series, second only to Andrew Jones (513 against Sri Lanka in 1990-91) among New Zealand batsmen in a three-match series and he has one potential innings remaining to overtake him. He is also only the second New Zealand batsman to make hundreds in three consecutive Tests after Mark Burgess, whose centuries were spread over a period from 1969 to 1972 against three teams.Among the other significant numbers, he has the second highest number of runs in a calendar year for New Zealand – just seven behind John R Reid’s 871 in 1965 – and is now equal third in their century-makers list with 11 alongside Nathan Astle.Taylor was delighted not to let down a special audience in attendance in Hamilton – his wife and two-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, were watching, having missed his opening-day ton in Wellington.”When I came today I did think about it. A lot of people had mentioned it,” Taylor said. “Jesse [Ryder] told me to get three in a row and Martin Guptill did. That was a nice reminder. My wife wasn’t at Dunedin or Wellington and she was very angry when she got to Wellington that she wasn’t able to see it. It was nice to get a hundred for her, because Mackenzie and Victoria haven’t seen me score a hundred anywhere for a long time.”Today was definitely the hardest one. It’s hard to go past the 200 but today was the most challenging of the three with the Narine factor. And it’d be a lie to say I haven’t been a little bit tired going in. It was nice to still trust the gameplan and still go out and bat.”That gameplan has involved shelving one of the shots that was often seen against the spinners: the slog sweep over midwicket. “As I said after the 200, Test cricket is sometimes not about the shots you play but the shots you put away and that’s definitely been a mindset of mine. Here I am saying that but I’m probably going to try and slog-sweep tomorrow if I get a bat.”Having his daughter in the crowd also helped Taylor during lunch. He’d needed to battle during the morning session as Narine continued to tease from Northern End and he only added 33 in the session. After the break, enjoying the extra hardness of the second new ball which West Indies had delayed taking, he went to his hundred with a sweet cover drive off Tino Best, then opened up against Darren Sammy in an over that cost 20 including two straight sixes – his first of the series. “I don’t know where it came from,” he said. “I was getting a little bit tired before lunch and it was nice to come in and the best thing was probably seeing Mackenzie on the side and having a bit of a laugh.”Peter Fulton had the Almanack out and I was answering the questions and it was nice to just get away from it. Sometimes when you bat for that long you can get a little bit ingrained in it. It was nice to have a little distraction from concentrating out in the middle.”New Zealand will hope that Taylor has to continue to find ways of switching off during long innings.

A substandard batting performance from defending champions Mumbai Indians led to their elimination from the Champions League as Northern Knights won their third qualification game in a row

The Report by Vishal Dikshit16-Sep-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:07

Agarkar: Knights the strongest outfit from the qualifiers

A substandard batting performance from defending champions Mumbai Indians led to their elimination from the Champions League as Northern Knights won their third qualification game in a row. An all-round display from Knights handed Mumbai their second loss in three matches, a six-wicket defeat that ensured Knights and Lahore Lions qualified for the main tournament.All three teams were in the fray to advance to the next stage and Mumbai had to win the match, by any margin, to qualify. But once they were put in to bat, their task became an uphill one when they were reduced to 46 for 5 by the Knights seamers in the 11th over. The lower order helped them recover, but the chase of 133 was made easy by the Knights openers who steered them to another convincing win.Desperate to get a strong start, Mumbai never got in the groove as Trent Boult and Tim Southee stifled them with their nagging line outside off, conceding only 11 in the first four overs, and accounting for Michael Hussey. First-change Scott Kuggeleijn conceded 15 in the fifth over, but Scott Styris ensured Knights retained suffocating control over proceedings, running through Mumbai’s batting with three wickets. He got rid of Jalaj Saxena, Lendl Simmons and Aditya Tare, with all three batsmen dismissed while making room to target the off side. Saxena handed a low catch to short cover, Simmons missed completely and lost his off stump and Tare looked to cut late but the ball bounced a tad extra and took an edge to land in BJ Watling’s gloves.Boult then came back for his second spell to account for Ambati Rayudu and Mumbai were crumbling at 46 for 5. Outstanding fielding complemented the bowling, cutting off singles and not allowing Mumbai to rotate the strike under pressure.Mumbai nearly tripled the score from there, in two stages. Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh stalled the fall of wickets for nearly five overs, and after Harbhajan fell for 10, Pollard started the fightback by striking three boundaries to push the score to 89. Lasith Malinga then struck three fours and a six off successive deliveries, two of them off the edge, and Shreyas Gopal topped it by making room and collecting 16 from the last over to lift the total to 132.Knights were hardly bothered in the chase, despite losing four wickets, as their openers put on a domineering stand of 83. Anton Devcich took charge initially and a calm Kane Williamson rotated the strike from the other end. They added 49 runs in the Powerplay, mostly striking the ball around the ground, finding gaps regularly, and converting the loose deliveries on offer.Bowling changes after the Powerplay didn’t help Mumbai, as Williamson chipped the ball into the gaps and used his feet against the spinners to accelerate. Devcich cashed in on the full tosses and short balls before he became the first of four batsmen to fall to soft dismissals, three of them popping catches to catching fielders in front of the wicket. But by the time Mumbai removed the openers, Knights needed only 30 from 43 balls and even though Watling gave his wicket away to fall for a duck, Styris came in and hit the winning runs with 16 balls to spare, after Daryl Mitchell had scored 15 off Malinga in the previous over.

Centuries by Matt Pardoe and Moeen Ali put Worcestershire in charge on a bad first day for Glamorgan in their Division Two meeting at New Road

20-Jun-2013
ScorecardMoeen Ali extended his lead at the top of the Division Two run-scoring charts•PA PhotosCenturies by Matt Pardoe and Moeen Ali put Worcestershire in charge on a bad first day for Glamorgan in their Division Two meeting at New Road. Mark Wallace’s decision to bowl first on winning the toss backfired as two left-handers shared in the home side’s first double-century partnership in the competition for nearly three years.Pardoe completed an impressive maiden hundred with 102 from 235 balls, and Moeen cemented his position as the leading scorer in Division Two in making an unbeaten 155 towards a total of 322 for 3.Already Worcestershire are in far better shape than at Cardiff in April when Australian seamer Michael Hogan took seven wickets in Glamorgan’s only victory in seven Championship games so far. Hogan has since become the leading wicket-taker in the division and it was his opening spell of 1 for 9 in seven overs that gave Worcestershire their toughest examination in the return meeting.The 6ft 5in seamer cut one back into Daryl Mitchell’s pads to claim the only success in the first two sessions and after lunch he was as close as anyone to unseating Moeen when the batsman got away with an edge past the slips.Once the shine had gone from the ball, the conditions favoured the batsmen and Moeen, in his first innings since his 26th birthday on Tuesday, was clearly determined to profit on a slow surface. His second 50 included only three boundaries and two of them came from successive balls off Marcus North as he moved up to 99. A single in the Australian’s next over took him to three figures from 169 balls.For Pardoe it was a new experience to move through the 90s and after surviving one big lbw appeal the academy product raised his hundred with leg-side blows for six and four off North. This is shaping up to be the best of his three seasons in first-team cricket. Having scored fifties in two of the previous home Championship games, he took the big step after hitting 13 fours and two sixes.The next ball he faced proved to be the last. Propping forward, he edged to Jim Allenby, giving Dean Cosker some compensation after conceding 22 runs in two overs before lunch. The second-wicket stand eventually produced 219 in 64 overs, the county’s best for any wicket since Moeen put on 215 with James Cameron in a promotion-clinching win against Sussex in September 2010.Glamorgan’s struggle continued as Moeen and Thilan Samaraweera (38) put on 90 before the former Sri Lanka batsman steered Allenby to backward point where Ben Wright dived to his right to hold a sharp chance.

United States international Antonee Robinson has liked a tweet from a supposed Fulham fan that claims he “can’t defend, can’t attack”.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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Full-back scored an own goal against VillansSupporters not happy with performanceDefender heading off on international dutyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 26-year-old full-back endured a Premier League outing to forget on Sunday as he scored an own goal to break the deadlock in the Cottagers’ 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa. Robinson put through his own net in the 27th minute and was unable to help Fulham back into the game from that point.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He will now be heading off with the USMNT for their two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final clash with Trinidad & Tobago, having been named in Gregg Berhalter’s latest squad. Robinson will be making that journey with criticism ringing in his ears.

DID YOU KNOW?

Robinson does not appear to be taking said criticism to heart, though, as he has made a point of interacting with his detractors. The buccaneering left-back decided to like a post on social media from a Fulham supporter that has questioned what he brings to Marco Silva’s side and has suggested that a suitable song for him could be: "Can't defend, can't attack, Antonee Robinson our full-back."

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WHAT NEXT?

Robinson joined Fulham in 2020 and has taken in 120 appearances for the club – helping to establish them back in the Premier League following promotion in 2022. He signed a new contract at Craven Cottage back in July and has earned 37 caps for the United States – forming part of Nations League-winning squads in 2020 and 2023.

Clive Lloyd, West Indies’ new selection committee convener, has indicated that youth development will be his primary focus in helping revive West Indies cricket

Renaldo Matadeen11-Aug-2014Clive Lloyd, West Indies’ new selection committee convener, has indicated that youth development will be his primary focus in helping revive West Indies cricket. Lloyd said that in order to ensure West Indies’ ascension in the ICC Test rankings, emphasis must be placed on honing the potential of youngsters at the regional under-19 level, something he felt was undervalued in the past.”We have always had a lot of talent at the under-19 level but we lose a lot of these young cricketers. We need to harness this talent and get them up to standard that is needed,” he said. “We cannot be in the doldrums as we’ve been, for a long time. This [new] change is a structural change and let’s hope the youngsters realise that we are moving into a new era and they can be part of this thinking.”We have got to think a lot more about our cricket and I hope that can be injected in our young players that are coming through because these Under-19 guys, they will be the future of West Indies cricket and if they can inculcate the right sort of things, we would have a very good future.”Lloyd pointed to the High Performance Centre in Barbados as ideal for inculcating the skills youth cricketers needed to progress. According to Lloyd, the facility would be crucial in instilling a mindset adapted to the rigors of Test cricket in the younger players.Lloyd also stressed that West Indies needed to be more formidable and mentally stronger to regain respectability in Tests. West Indies are currently ranked eighth in the ICC Test rankings and have not won a series against a top-eight side since August 2012. The side suffered 2-0 series defeats on their tours to India and New Zealand and recently lost a three-Test series at home to New Zealand.”I know we won a T20 championship, but we need to be more consistent with our play. We need to move up the ladder, specially where the Test matches are concerned,” he said. “We have some good bowlers around the place but our batting has not been up to par. But there are some good cricketers here and it’s just a matter of getting people who want to bat for long periods. As I said before, I want to see players bat ugly. Not every day is going to be one where you can drive it around, you’ve got to be able to battle your way out of situations.”We shouldn’t be bowled out in two sessions in a Test match. We should not be beaten in two-and-a-half days in a Test match. We have to think properly and if you notice, any time there is a close game we get beaten. So our thinking has got to be much better.”Lloyd, who has a two-year contract as convener of the selection panel, welcomed the appointment of Courtney Walsh and Eldine Baptiste as selectors. He revealed that other former players could join the set-up in different roles and hoped the changes would work as a catalyst for improvement. He expressed optimism with the plans suggested by WICB’s director of cricket, Richard Pybus, and said the ideas could help West Indies move upwards.”They are all experienced guys – some have captained, some have managed,” he said. “Some other guys will also come into play, there are a lot of other guys who will be working in different areas of our cricket. So we are bringing in experienced people, guys who are accustomed to winning, guys who are professional and that’s what we need – a professional body not only on the field but off the field and I hope that will be the catalyst that will get us moving again.”

It came down to the final delivery of the chase, when a steer to gully from No. 9 Imran Ali yielded the single that gave Lahore Lions the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Misbah-ul-Haq lean run in the tournament continued in the final•BCCIIt came down to the final delivery of the chase, when a steer to gully from No. 9 Imran Ali yielded the single that gave Lahore Lions the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup.It was a topsy-turvy game, and defending champions Faisalabad Wolves looked like they had the match in their grasp when they got the key wicket of Umar Akmal in the 18th over. With 25 needed in the final three overs Lions were cruising, but a rough caught-behind decision to send back Umar in an over that cost only four runs, seemingly tipped the game towards Wolves.However, Saad Nasim, who held the innings together with a 43, pulled off a scoop over the keeper’s head in the penultimate over as it came down to 11 off the final six deliveries. Nasim was the set batsmen, but it was his lower-order team-mates that did the bulk of the work in the last over. Wahab Riaz crashed the first ball to long-on for four, and there was a bye, a leg-bye and a run-out off a wide before Imran faced the last delivery of the match, poking it for the single that secured the title.If Wolves didn’t do too well in the final stages with the ball, they were worse in the final stages of their innings with the bat. From 122 for 3 with 14 deliveries to go, they lost seven wickets for eight runs, which meant they ended on 131, instead of somewhere in the mid-140s. Ali Waqas top-scored with 63 while Misbah-ul-Haq completed a lean tournament with a 33-ball 27, unable to open out in the closing stages.During the chase, Saaed Ajmal delivered impeccable figures of 4-0-11-0, while Asad Ali took three wickets, including the big ones of Mohammad Hafeez and Umar, but couldn’t finish the job in the last over.

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman by the Islamabad High Court

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2014Chaos and the PCB

May 8 – Zaka Ashraf becomes the PCB’s first elected chairman

May 28 – The Islamabad High Court bars Ashraf from dispensing his duties, following questions over the legality of his appointment

June 13 – High Court upholds Ashraf’s suspension at a subsequent hearing and orders the PCB to name an interim chairman

June 19 – Key decisions are in the lurch, including an MoU that needs to be signed for Pakistan to tour the West Indies for a limited-over series in July

June 23 – Najam Sethi is named PCB’s interim chairman

July 20 – High Court overrules all major decisions taken by Sethi and orders the Election Commission to conduct fresh elections for the chairman post

July 24 – PCB files appeal against High Court decision

September 28 – The ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) names Amir Tariq Zaman Khan the PCB secretary – a role not defined in the PCB constitution – in compliance with the High Court order

October 15 – Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif dissolves the PCB governing board and forms a five-member interim management committee headed by Sethi

October 21 – Islamabad High Court sets November 2 as the deadline for Election Commission to fill the chairman post

November 4 – High Court says Sethi commission can continue working, stays election process

November 17 – Sethi raises conflict-of-interest questions by interviewing Misbah-ul-Haq on his political show

December 17 – High Court reserves judgment on PCB appeal against July 20 ruling

January 15 – High Court reinstates Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), following a long-winded and complicated legal process. This is a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for Ashraf, who had been suspended from the post in May 2013 by the same court, after it ruled he was elected via a “dubious” and “polluted” process.Speaking to the media in Lahore, Ashraf welcomed the High Court ruling.”I respected court orders before and I respect it now, and will continue to work for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan,” he said. “Cricket is a non-political game and it is supported by millions in Pakistan. This legal process has hurt Pakistan cricket badly.”Details of the court order are yet to be released, though. It would seem, however, that Ashraf has been reinstated on the interpretation that the original appeal of Nadeem Suddle (who first contested Ashraf’s election) has been dismissed. This will only be confirmed on Thursday morning, when the full judgment is released.Ashraf was elected chairman in May, under a new constitution, in which the role of the patron of the board – at that point the president of Pakistan – had been changed. Where before the patron simply appointed a chairman for however long a term he chose, under the new constitution, the patron would recommend two candidates for the post, who would then be interviewed by a nomination committee. The nomination would then have to be approved by a restructured board of governors.In Ashraf’s case, the problem with election was at two levels. One, it was done secretively and in a hurry, ahead of the country’s general elections in which the party Ashraf derived his power from – the Pakistan People’s Party – was eventually voted out. Two, the composition of the board of governors was questionable, with no representation on it of the entire province of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and arguably its most dominant in terms of cricket players.Subsequently, Najam Sethi was appointed as interim chairman in June by the prime minister – the new patron of the board – Nawaz Sharif. However, Sethi was not appointed as per the specifications of the IHC, and so in July the court overturned all the major decisions taken by him and restricted his powers to the overseeing of the day-to-day administration of the board. At that point, the court also ordered fresh elections by October 18.However, with it being evident the elections would not take place by the stipulated deadline, the board’s patron, Sharif, dissolved the PCB’s governing board on October 15 and created an interim management committee (IMC), the members of which unanimously chose Sethi as its head. The PCB had been run by the IMC till date.Asked whether the PCB would appeal the judgment, Sethi said it wasn’t up to him to make that decision.”This is a question that you must ask IPC and government of Pakistan,” he said. “I was not, nor am I now, a petitioner or appelant. I was appointed by the PM. He has to decide [the] course of action.”