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| September 03, 2006 | Sunday | Sha'aban 9, 1427 |
Stanford 20/20 game may go ahead as PCB changes stance
KARACHI, Sept 2: The Pakistan Cricket Board has shown willingness to ‘bend over backwards’ in order to accommodate the proposed Stanford 20/20 Super Star game between West Indies and South Africa on Nov 10.
The said fixture was declared cancelled a couple of days ago by Allen Stanford, the Antiguan-based Texan billionaire who introduced this version of cricket in the Caribbean earlier this year, after it emerged that the match was in direct conflict with West Indies’ tour of Pakistan in November.
But according to Shaharyar M. Khan, the PCB chairman, the 20/20 match could still be played if the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is willing to accept a ‘new proposal’ from the PCB.
Shaharyar said that he had spoken to the PCB officials in Lahore and told them to reschedule the tour which is set to begin two days after the ICC Champions Trophy final in Mumbai on Nov 5.
“Since we hold the West Indies board in such high regard, we must bend over backwards to accommodate them, even if it meant bumping into our national Twenty20 tournament,” the PCB chairman told a Barbados-based newspaper.
Abbas Zaidi, the PCB director board operations, confirmed that the PCB has indeed offered the WICB an ‘olive branch’ in a bid to save the Stanford 20/20 match.
“We can let them (WICB) have the 20/20 match, provided the start of West Indies tour of Pakistan is only delayed by not more than four to five days. But if the WICB asks for a week, then we would be left with no alternative but to follow the originally announced itinerary,” Zaidi told Dawn on Saturday.
Ken Gordon, the WICB president, is pleased at PCB’s change of heart to shift the dates for the tour. “This is very good news as we have tried to keep our commitment to do all within our power to shift the dates. In fact, I wrote several letters to the PCB and clearly these have finally swayed the Pakistan board in our favour,” Gordon said. “As soon as I get formal confirmation of the PCB’s decision, I will convey it to Mr Stanford. I hope it is not too late to reinstate the game against South Africa.”
However, it remains to be seen how Stanford reacts to these late developments because soon after cancelling the match, he released a statement in which he attacked the WICB for their lack of communication throughout the whole matter.
Stanford stated: “The cancellation of the SuperStar match was based on a letter written by the president of the WICB, dated Aug 25, in which it was conveyed that there was absolutely nothing that could be done with the dates for Pakistan tour and Mr Ken Gordon, as quoted in his letter, had conveyed his disappointment to the PCB Chairman Shaharyar M. Khan.
“After receiving this communication from Mr Gordon and realizing the level it had gone to with the PCB and much contemplation on the issue, the extremely difficult decision was made to cancel the match. Subsequent to this, South Africa was informed, agreements with suppliers were cancelled and the Super Star squad (that was training in Antigua) was informed and the camp was discontinued because of the irresolvable issue with the Pakistan tour dates.
“At this stage it would be unprofessional to reinstate all of this to accommodate what appears to be a lack of efficiency and miscommunication on the part of the WICB, the very organisation who assured us dates could be accommodated,” Stanford concluded.
If the Stanford 2-/20 fixture stands cancelled, the West Indies are expected to arrive in Pakistan on Nov 7 with the first Test at Lahore starting on Nov 11. The remaining Tests are slated for Multan (Nov 19-23) and Karachi (Nov 27-Dec 1).
The One-day Internationals are scheduled for Rawalpindi (Dec 5), Faisalabad (Dec 8), Lahore (Dec 10), Multan (Dec 13) and Karachi (Dec 16).
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