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| October 31, 2006 | Tuesday | Shawwal 7, 1427 |
PCB to launch probe into Oval Test fiasco: Senate Committee on Sports grills Nasim Ashraf
LAHORE, Oct 30: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf has assured the Senate Committee on Sports that he will conduct a thorough inquiry into the Oval Test's fiasco.
The PCB chief gave out this assurance on Monday to the Senate Committee which had summoned him to explain the cricket turmoil that recently gripped Pakistan cricket.
A member of the committee, Enver Beg, told Dawn from Islamabad that a detailed discussion was held on the Oval Test and the PCB chairman subsequently agreed to hold a thorough probe into the affair.
Enver disclosed that at first Nasim had refused to speak before the committee on the Oval mess but later admitted that the decision of staging the post-tea boycott on the fourth day was the sole decision of captain Inzamamul Haq.
"All the officials present at The Oval including myself, manager Zaheer Abbas and coach Bob Woolmer tried hard to convince Inzamam to return to the ground but he refused to comply," Dr Ashraf was quoted as saying.
When asked whether Inzamam’s refusal to take the field at The Oval was an act of indiscipline, the PCB chief shied away from making any comment but assured the committee of holding an inquiry into the affair.
It may be recalled here that skipper Inzamam had claimed that in England that Pakistan refusal to take the field in the post tea session at The Oval was a collective decision of the players and the team management.
Dr Ashraf, apparently, also admitted that no Pakistani official with the team was well informed about the ICC rules or regarding the consequences of boycotting play.
According to Senator Baig, the PCB chairman failed to reply when he was quizzed about the rate of the famous bookie of England, William Hill on that eventful fourth day at The Oval.
“We informed him that the bookie was offering 14-1 rate in favour of England while the match was in Pakistan's pocket.
Enver said he pointed out to Nasim that PCB should not overlook the bookies factor since the match-fixing allegations have been levelled against the players in the past.
"The matter is a serious one and you should consider all the aspects and an inquiry should be held into the affair," Enver asked the PCB chairman.
On the long-standing issue of the PCB Constitution, the committee asked the board chief if he had sought the recommendations of the district cricket associations while finalizing the document to which he replied in the negative.
"The associations work at the grassroots level and their suggestions are more important," the committee members reminded Nasim at the grilling session.
The committee also suggested that the recommendations from the associations be obtained by Dec 31 and also recommended four clauses to the chairman to incorporate in the constitution.
Elaborating on the clauses suggested, Senator Baig said it was emphasised by the committee that the PCB chairman should be an elected person instead of being appointed by the president of Pakistan.
A six-member panel comprising former Test cricketers should be formed to meet after every three months for the betterment of the game. It was suggested that the entire selection committee should be paid for a tenure of two years and that the PCB should also hold general council meeting on rotation basis in every province.
“The chairman assured the committee that the constitution would be implemented by Jan 1, 2007,” said the Senator.
Besides the four recommendations, the chairman was advised by the committee to give maximum amount of grant to the associations instead of paying heavy salaries to board employees.
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