PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan recovering after heart surgery in London

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan underwent a heart surgery in England last week after medical reports confirmed he had blockages in his arteries. Shaharyar had a valve replaced successfully at Royal Brompton Hospital and was expected to return to his London residence later this month.

Family sources confirmed Shaharyar had been shifted from the intensive-care unit to a ward and his recovery process was "well on track". He is likely to be discharged from hospital in the next ten days but may take longer to return to a normal routine.

Shaharyar has had diabetes for the last 20 years and while the condition was controlled through diet, it affected his heart. He recently complained of breathing trouble after a trip to Sri Lanka where he took over as president of the Asian Cricket Council.

Shaharyar, 82, had recently received the backing of Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the chief patron of the PCB, to continue as chairman until the end of his three-year term in August 2017. ESPNcricinfo understood, however, that Shaharyar may step down if doctors advised him three months' rest and intensive care as part of his rehabilitation. He has been fulfilling his duties related to the PCB remotely, through phone calls and emails, during his time in London.

According to the PCB constitution, in case of a chairman's absence from duty, the board of governors may elect an acting chairman from among the members. The acting chairman will have limited powers and will oversee the management of the board on a day-to-day basis. If the office of chairman was vacated for any reason, the PCB's constitution stated the Prime Minister of Pakistan can request the election commissioner to hold a fresh election. A source in the Prime Minister's office confirmed Shaharyar was given a go-ahead by Sharif in June but there could be a change in the coming months, subject to the political situation.

The power struggle between Shaharyar and former chairman Najam Sethi, who leads the three-member executive committee, has been prominent in the PCB. The executive committee's power has been limited to making recommendations but Sethi has exerted considerable influence over major decisions within the board, thus creating a rift with Shaharyar. It was understood that Shaharyar's decision to step down could have paved the way for Sethi to once again take over the position of the PCB chairman. However, an official in the Prime Minister's office indicated that the tenures of both Shaharyar and Sethi might come to an end in the not-too-distant future, because both were direct nominees of the PCB's governing board.