June 11, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1424

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LAHORE, June 10: Former first-class cricketer Tahir Shah has turned down the PCB-Pepsi and club cricket coaching assignment’s offer alleging it was nothing but a clear case of “bribe”.

Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, Tahir said that PCB had not invited him to attend the recently concluded coaching course. But it was a surprise for him why the board had appointed him a coach on a salary of Rs 15000 per month. Tahir alleged that hardly a single coach, among the total 17 appointed for this assignment, attended the coaching course.

But they were obliged with lucrative salaries and that was nothing but bribe. Tahir said that he stood first in the very first coaching course held some two years back. But failed in the second course while for the third, PCB had not invited him.

“If I failed in the second course and not called for the next one, then what is the merit set by PCB to call me for coaching?” he questioned. Besides the 17 coaches, five coordinators were also appointed by the PCB only for Lahore under the programme which started on Tuesday.

Tahir had three records in domestic cricket. He hit maximum 15 sixes while representing NBP against HBL in a Grade I match. He had second record of scoring 50 runs off only 16 balls all with the principal strokes — eight fours and three sixes.

The third record to his credit is of hitting 19 sixes in a Grade-II match while playing for LCCA Against Rawalpindi in 1991-92.

Tahir said that he also represented Pakistan in a side match against Sri Lanka in 1991-92 and scored 63.

But after that he was ignored due to his criticism of bias at the top level. PCB has appointed following coordinators and coaches for PCB- Pepsi school-club programme.

COORDINATORS: Shuja, Saadat Ali, Sohail Saleem, Intikhab Ahmad, Rab Nawaz.

COACHES: Arif Butt, Akram Raza, Shahid Anwar, Nadeem Ghouri, Talat Mirza, Ijaz Ahmad, Khalid Niazi, Kamran Khan, Abdul Sami, Aleem Dar, Amjad Siddique, Iqbal Zahoor, Tahir Shah, Anis Siddiqui, Asif Ali, Ali Ahmad, Bilal Ahmad.