LAHORE, Oct 6: Former Test wicket-keeper and captain Imtiaz Ahmad on Monday expressed astonishment and dismay over Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision of organizing a benefit match for wicket-keeper Wasim Bari.

PCB has allotted part of the proceeds of the first ODI between Pakistan and South Africa to Wasim Bari which was played here on Friday.

“What criteria did PCB set while taking this decision — if it is the performance then I have more international records and if it is due to his performance as chief selector I have more achievements in this area too than him”, Imtiaz asked while talking to Dawn.

Imtiaz was the first Pakistani who hit double century, scoring 201 against New Zealand in 1955-56 in Lahore. He scored 300 runs against Commonwealth Games team while representing a joint Indian team. A seventh wicket partnership of 308-runs with Waqar was also a record to his credit.

Imtiaz said that he served as chief selector and selector for seven years. He admitted that Wasim was a good wicket-keeper and allotting the match to him was the decision of PCB, so he would only ask from the board to apprise him what criteria had been set for granting a match to a former player.

Imtiaz said that Wasim Bari as chief selector selected a team which could not qualify for the second round of the World Cup-2003 and was roundly criticized. Around six players of that team had to quit for different reasons, but the chief selector had been rewarded, he stated.

Imtiaz was also the member of the first Pakistan Test team for which PCB announced a cash prize of Rs 250,000 for each player.

PCB made an announcement during a function attended by President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Sept 16, but, later, PCB failed to disburse the money claiming it could not get any sponsor.

He urged PCB to formulate a scheme like the Sharjah-based Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) and announce a list of the beneficiaries so that former players were provided the same incentive as offered to Wasim Bari.