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| November 27, 2001 | Tuesday | Ramazan 11, 1422 |
Sarfraz condemns PCB policies
ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: Former Pakistan pacer and ex-cricket advisor Sarfraz Nawaz Monday condemned his country’s cricket board for supporting India in their on-going cricket crisis, saying “Pakistan has not learnt lessons from the past”.
“Pakistan is unnecessarily supporting India in the current crisis knowing that it is the country that ditched Pakistan on numerous occasions,” Sarfraz told SADA.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia Friday announced that his board would support India to an extent and would follow rules and principles.
Nawaz also suggested the ICC to ban the three officials currently officiating an “unofficial” Test between India and South Africa.
“Match Referee Denis Lindsay and umpires Rudi Koertzen and Dave Orchards should be banned because they are officiating a Test which is played against the ICC’s orders,” he added.
“PCB is crying of financial losses caused by India which on the eleventh hour pulled out its team from a series scheduled last year and then in September by refusing to play Pakistan at the last moment. And yet PCB wants to support India,” he said.
India irked Pakistan by refusing to tour Pakistan in December last year and then pulled out of the Asian Test Championship, making Pakistan suffer a blow of around $30 million.
“Indian prime minister had clearly said he would not interfere in the cricket board’s matters and has also asked sports minister Uma Bharti to become mute which shows Indian government does not interfere in cricketing matters,” Sarfraz said.
Sarfraz recalled that India had ditched Pakistan in 1991 as well.
“India and Pakistan had agreed to vote against South Africa’s re-admission into the international cricket arena in 1991, but at the last moment India ditched Pakistan and voted for South Africa,” Sarfraz said.
He alleged that the Indian cricket chief Jaghmohan Dalmiya was unnecessarily prolonging the crisis.
“British media had accused him (Dalmiya) of match fixing and this is Dalmiya’s way to take revenge,” he said.
He also criticized the PCB for spoiling Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling action case.
“PCB has spoiled Akhtar’s case and is threatening ICC by not initiating the Stage Two, why they want to consult the Australian University when it’s of no use,” he questioned. “WA University has no authority to clear anyone and after Stage Two the PCB panel also has no right to clear Akhtar,” he added.—SADA
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