18 January 2004	Sunday	25 Ziqa'ad 1424

QUETTA, Jan 17: Provincial ministers, Mir Mohammad Asim Kurd and Habibur Rehman Mohammad Hasni have strongly criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for ignoring Balochistan cricketers in the Junior team as well as not having a Balochistan official in the selection committee.

"It is injustice with Balochistan and its players," they said and added that PCB always adopted discriminatory attitude with the players of Balochistan and not a single player was included in the national side.

They said that Balochistan has produced first class cricketers but they were also ignored by the selectors and chose players for national side from other parts of the country.

"There is no dearth of talent in Balochistan, they only need board's attention and encouragement for representing the country in the national team," Balochistan ministers said.

They said that in the past Balochistan's ex-first class player cricketer Qasim Baloch was included in the junior under-19 selection committee which defeated South Africa junior team in the home series.

But this time Balochistan was completely ignored while forming the junior selection committee.

The ministers demanded of the chairman PCB Shaharyar M. Khan to take notice of ignoring Balochistan in the selection Committee and nominate a member from this province in the junior selection committee.

They also urged upon the chairman PCB to allot a one-day international match of the Indian team in Quetta, which would be visiting Pakistan in the first week of March next.