November 11, 2002	Monday	Ramazan 5, 1423

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LAHORE, Nov 10: Rashid Latif will not return home from Zimbabwe due to fitness problem.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, while speaking to the media at Gaddafi Stadium Sunday, said that Rashid would be treated for his neck injury by a specialist in Johannesburg.

PCB’s decision to send Rashid Latif to Johannesburg for treatment shows the incompetence of the board, panel of doctors and the team management which kept mum and let the player have a joyride when knowing fully well that the wicketkeeper was nursing an injury.

Instead of taking the player and those involved in this charade to task, the board once again bowed before player power and rewarded the former skipper by flying him to South Afria for treatment.

Such things can only happen in Pakistan. Any other board would have despatched the player back home by first available flight.

Earlier the PCB had announced that it would slap heavy fines on players found misinforming or not disclosing their injury problems simply to get on foreign tours but it seems it was a hollow warning and the unfortunate Rashid episode proves that point.

Rashid could not play the three-day opener and also the ongoing first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare. Team manager, Brig Khawaja Mohammad Nasir, had earlier, reportedly announced that the decision to send back Rashid would be taken in couple of days.

“I have talked to the team management and instructed them not to send Rashid back and give him treatment there from any specialist”, Tauqir said.

When asked who will replace Rashid, if the player would not recover from his injury, PCB chief said then Moin Khan was the next choice before him.

Meanwhile, Test discard Moin has expressed his unavailability for the first match of the Ramazan Cup Super League cricket tournament starting at the Gaddafi Stadium Monday.

Moin who has been named captain of the ‘A’ team was to play the opener against ‘C’ team.

Moin cited domestic problems as reasons for being unavailable for the first match, according to a PCB official. About the remaining matches the former captain said he would inform the PCB later.

Moin will be replaced by Naved Latif to lead Team ‘A’.