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| September 25, 2003 | Thursday | Rajab 27, 1424 |
Rashid resigns as Pakistan captain
KARACHI, Sept 24: Just five days prior to the arrival of the South African squad, Pakistan cricket was once again left in turmoil on Wednesday after Rashid Latif resigned from captaincy.
Rashid decided to give up national captaincy after a meeting here with Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday.
Rashid, 34, however, has confirmed his availability for the forthcoming series against South Africa with key batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq likely to take over the leadership on a regular basis.
Inzamam guided Pakistan to a 5-0 whitewash of the one-day series against Bangladesh that concluded on Sunday with a day/night encounter in Karachi.
Meanwhile, Tauqir said on Wednesday in Lahore that he was disappointed and sad over Rashid’s decision to resign as captain and ‘retire from international cricket’.
“He was brought back into the national team as he was and is still considered as the best wicket-keeper in the country. It was because of that respect and regard that Rashid was made the Pakistan captain after the 2003 World Cup.
“He is an honest person who has led the side extremely well and I would be sorry to lose such a cricketer and a man of integrity who knows better himself when to say good bye to cricket,” the chairman said in a statement.
However, according to a PCB statement, the resignation of Rashid has not been accepted or rejected by the PCB chairman.
The decision will be made on Thursday.
“I have got tremendous respect for Rashid who has always put cricket first. His services to the game of cricket and the country are meritorious and will be long remembered,” the PCB chief added.
Rashid, in his resignation to the PCB chairman, wrote: “Inzamam-ul-Haq played superbly under pressure and continued his form into the One-day International series. He played one of his best ever innings for Pakistan at Multan. He is completely committed and fit and I will like him to continue the captaincy against South Africa.
“Earlier as well, I am saying, this again that the time has come for me to leave the captaincy and cricket. It was my promise to the chairperson of the PCB that I will not let the country and the PCB down and will do my best to groom the team.
“I can confidently say that I have done my job most honestly and it may be time for me to leave cricket to create an opportunity to groom a future wicket-keeper,” the outgoing skipper concluded.
Rashid was named captain as the cricket authorities initiated a rebuilding process by dropping eight senior players after Pakistan’s humiliating first-round exit at the World Cup in southern Africa earlier this year.
Rashid, who recently led Pakistan to a 3-0 clean sweep in Test series against Bangladesh, was then nominated skipper until the tour of New Zealand in December/January after having captained his country in the one-day tournaments in Sharjah and Dambulla (Sri Lanka) and a three-match limited-overs series in England.
He was ruled out of the one-day series against Bangladesh after being handed a five-match ODI ban by ICC match referee Mike Procter as a result of a complaint lodged by the Bangladeshis about a contentious catch during the final Test in Multan.
Rashid, who has a habit of ruffling feathers, refused to comment on his decision to resign when Dawn contacted him. “The only thing I have to say is that I have resigned. I cannot say anything else except that I’m available for the South African series as a player.”
The PCB chief had indicated the other day that he was clearly unhappy with Rashid’s attitude and warned to behave more responsibly.
The retired general was particularly upset at Rashid making statements in the media in which he was critical of certain aspects of the game. “He wrote directly to the ICC, all of which violates our code of conduct. And he keeps on doing it,” the PCB boss said here the other day.
Rashid, whose integrity has seldom being questioned, has been at loggerheads with the PCB over the past couple of months over several issues. He was reprimanded for writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and warning the game’s ruling body of the match-fixing hazards.
Aamir Sohail, the chairman of selectors, expressed his unhappiness to the PCB chief after Rashid had developed differencs with him over selection matters in the recent Test series against Bangladesh.
Rashid, who first captained Pakistan on the tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1998, quit at the peak of his powers as a world-class wicket-keeper soon after, amid reports that he had levelled match-fixing allegations against his team mates.
It is still uncertain how long Rashid will carry on after this latest humiliation. Most observers believe that he has been forced to quit as Pakistan
captain rather than resign voluntarily.
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