Pakistan‘s Mohsin Naqvi’s tenure as president of the Asian Cricket Council is set to conclude on April 2, 2027, and any bid to extend that term is facing near-certain failure. At least three, and possibly four, of the five ACC Full Members are expected to oppose an extension, making the required near-unanimous agreement among the Executive Board virtually unattainable.
Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, assumed the ACC presidency on April 3, 2025. The Executive Board that would need to approve any extension comprises India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Bangladesh is next in line for the ACC presidency rotation, and Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal is believed to be keen to take charge of the role once Naqvi’s term concludes.
Why is an extension so unlikely for Naqvi?
The ACC constitution allows extensions to the president’s term, but only when the Executive Board grants approval by unanimous agreement. That threshold has not been met in the current political climate surrounding Asian cricket. The ACC president’s term runs for two years and is rotated among the Full Members, with the term itself having no connection to the ACC Annual General Meeting.
“The president has a two-year term which is rotated among the full members of the ACC. Extensions can occasionally be granted by unanimous agreement among the Executive Board and in the current ACC Executive Board, there is no unanimity. At least on the subject of extension to Naqvi, there is little chance of unanimity, going by recent turn of events,” an ACB official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
The recent turn of events referred to includes two high-profile trophy disputes. The India men’s team refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi on September 28, 2025, and that trophy remains locked in ACC headquarters in Dubai. Subsequently, the India Women also refused to accept the Women’s Asia Cup trophy from Naqvi following their victory over Sri Lanka in 2026. These incidents have deepened the divisions within the board.
Jay Shah’s precedent from 2024 illustrates how different the current atmosphere is. Shah served a third year as ACC president that year with complete unanimity among members, with Sri Lanka voluntarily ceding its turn. No such goodwill appears to exist for a Naqvi extension.
What happens next in the ACC presidential succession?
With Naqvi’s term scheduled to end in April 2027, the procedural question centres on whether Bangladesh formally assumes the presidency at that point. Bangladesh is confirmed as next in line under the rotation system, and Tamim is understood to be looking forward to the role.
“There may be speculations, but Naqvi’s term ends in April 2027. Bangladesh is next in line, and there is a belief among ACC members that Tamim is looking forward to taking over. Naqvi may argue that the AGM was held only in August last year, when elections to other ACC positions were not held, and that the elections were held only in August this year. But the term of the ACC president has no connection with the AGM,” the source added.
The next confirmed ACC event on the calendar is the Asian Under-19 Women’s Championship, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in December 2026, with India as two-time defending champions. The next men’s Asia Cup is scheduled for June 2027 in Bangladesh, a tournament that will fall after Naqvi’s term expires and, if the rotation proceeds as expected, under a new ACC president.
