16 February 2005	Wednesday	06 Muharram 1426

PESHAWAR, Feb 15: Women Cricket Association, NWFP, has protested against the decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to authorise it to conduct trials for National championship.

The general secretary of provincial Women Cricket Association (WCA) Rahim Bibi claimed that trials were held last month and the PCB had appointed its regional development officer on Feb 7, 2005 as the selecting authority for the NWFP women cricket team for the weeklong national championship to be held in Lahore next month.

Earlier, on April 10; 2003, PCB had issued a notification and nominated Rashida Ghaznavi as interim president and Rahim Bibi as general secretary of the provincial WCA till the election of the association office-bearers.

Since the PCB has not conducted new elections for the WCA, therefore, the present female president and general secretary of the association should have been authorised to conduct trials of female players, Miss Rahim Bibi said.

The trials which was conducted by a male regional development officer proved a failure as only three girls turned up. The PCB decision to appoint a male selector also clashed with the policy of the MMA government, said Miss Bibi.

The WCA had been working for the last seven years to promote sports among women. Why then the board did not authorise the association to hold trials for the women cricket team, said Rahim Bibi, adding that Nabila and Kanta were even selected for the Pakistan Women Cricket team.

The general secretary of All Pakistan Women Cricket Association Miss Azra Parveen also alleged that PCB was ignoring women and not letting them to come to the forefront. The decision of the PCB to authorise the regional development officer instead of women cricket association was injustice to the women's body, Parveen said.

The women associations were working for promotion of sports among women for the last several years and now affairs are handed over to the male. She alleged that it was done to embezzle funds allocated to the women's body.

Fakhr-u-Zaman, the regional development officer of the PCB, when contacted told Dawn that he had made an offer to the WCA to coordinate and organise the trials with him but they refused to come forward.

"I had no option but to go ahead with the trials. Few players turned up for the trials because they were held on Sunday (a holiday). As soon as the weather improves, and the cricket ground condition becomes suitable for a match, trials will be held again," Mr Zaman said.

He also alleged that the WCA president and general secretary were 'self proclaimed' office bearers and accused them of discouraging female players from coming to the trials. "I will conduct trials again, two teams are ready and when the weather becomes suitable, trial match will be held," Zaman added.