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| June 06, 2006 | Tuesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1427 |
PCB ad hoc committee critical of frequent team changes: Zaheer and Mohsin named managers
LAHORE, June 5: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the frequent changes being made in the Pakistan team and advised the team management and selectors for continuty to build up a strong team for the World Cup-2007.
"The ad hoc committee was briefed by chief selector Wasim Bari, coach Bob Woolmer and captain Inzamamul Haq, over the World Cup's preparations and it advised them to avoid the policy of changes for the sake of changes as only eight months are left to the event and continuity will be helpful to raise a strong team," PCB ad hoc chairman Shaharyar M Khan told journalists on Monday.
The World Cup will be held in West Indies in March next year.
Shaharyar said that Bari, Woolmer and Inzamam also exchanged suggestions over the preparations and gave a detailed programme.
“The chief selector also briefed the ad hoc committee, separately” he added.
He said that the ad hoc committee also urged on team spirit besides emphasising the need of continuity.
The chairman, however, expressed satisfaction over the largely criticized opening department of the team.
"Three openers Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Salman Butt have been maintaining 50 per cent average in the opening stand for the last two years and I think the criticism on this department is not fair," he said.
He said former Test cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Mohsin Khan had been appointed as managers of the Pakistan Senior and 'A' teams.
The Seniors are touring England from the last week of June to Sept 12 to play four Tests and five ODIs besides a Twenty20 game and few side matches.
The 'A' team departs for Australia in July to play four-day matches against Australia 'A' besides taking part in quadrangular tournament also involving India and New Zealand.
Zaheer was recalled after he toured Sri Lanka played in March-April this year. He was not retained for a short back-to-back ODIs series against India held in Abu Dhabi in April.
Asked why Shafiq Ahmad was removed as manager of the 'A' team as he had managed the team which won the EurAsia Cup in Abu Dhabi last month, the chairman said it was the policy to test more and more young person.
He said Sabeeh Azhar had been appointed as coach of the 'A' team while Asad Mustafa would be the logistic operations manager of the Pakistan team.
He said a decision when Shoaib Akhtar would go to represent Pakistan in England would be taken after receiving the scan reports of the bowler from South Africa.
The reports are expecting to be received on Tuesday.
The ad hoc committee failed to take any decision about increasing the pay package of the players under the next central contract.
"The point of central contract was discussed but a final decision will be taken, before the team's departure to England', the chairman said.
The players had demanded an increase in central contract's amount.
The chairman said that it was decided to reduce the number of players to 20 from 23 in the list of central contract.
Moreover, the list of 12 retainers will be revised after six months.
He said that newly appointed National Cricket Academy Director Mudassar Nazar also briefed the committee about plans to run the academy which had been non-operational for a year on more professional basis..
Mudassar told the committee that batting, bowling and coaches for juniors would be appointed besides establishing regional academies in all 11 regions of the board.
He said the design to upgrade the National Stadium Karachi for the three forthcoming mega events had been approved and the work would start soon. “the seating capacity of the stadium will be raised to 50,000 after completion.
The PCB chief said the upgradation of the Qadhafi Stadium, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar, Multan Stadium and Pindi Stadium would also start soon.
Pakistan will host the Champions Trophy-2008 and Asia Cup-2008 while it will be the joint host of the World Cup-2011 with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
He said that the ad hoc committee also approved the budget of the PCB, however, he avoided to disclose the figures.
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