LAHORE, Jan 5: An important meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee, probably the last one, to be held on Thursday, will take certain decisions in light of the report of a human resources firm hired to assess staff requirement and another to review audit.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf, soon after assuming charge from Shaharyar M Khan last November hired the services of the two firms.

The company dealing with human resources related matters had an interview session with every staff member of the PCB to assess his talent and his need in the set up.

The cash-rich PCB, has a staff strength of around 150, including high-paid officials, around eight general managers, two directors, a good number of managers, regional development officers and regional development managers.

But the way Aaqib Javed was appointed as chief coach at the National Cricket Academy on Jan 3, without waiting for the recommendations of the

company, nor discussing it first in the ad hoc committee meeting, and similarly the way Razaullah, has been reinstated as manager National Stadium, Karachi, recently, clearly indicates that PCB chairman would like to retain his hiring and firing powers, giving little weight to the recommendations.

The PCB ignored its policy of advertising in the national press while appointing Aaqib as chief coach at the National Cricket Academy. Razaullah was suspended by former chairman Shaharyar M Khan.

Moreover, the ad hoc committee is also likely to approve media policy under which journalists would enjoy free trips with the Pakistan senior and junior teams at the expense of the PCB on rotation basis. The policy of rotation basis is being introduced for the first time in the board.

As the PCB chairman has promised, the new board's constitution would be implemented before Jan 31, ending eight years of ad hocism, one can only hope it will be the last meeting of the ad hoc committee.

The new constitution is with the PCB's Patron president General Pervez Musharraf awaiting his approval for the last couple of months.