September 01, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 29, 1429

LAHORE, Aug 31: The International Cricket Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has summoned an emergent meeting at Karachi for Wednesday to discuss the board’s unilateral decision of arranging a tour of South Africa in place of the postponed Champions Trophy.

The International Cricket Committee is concerned over PCB Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi’s negotiating a quadrangular series with South Africa without its consent as an alternate for September’s Champions Trophy that was to be held in Pakistan but has now been deferred for next year due to the various security concerns of the participating countries.

It may have been a good idea in order to compensate the players as well as to fill the time gap but the COO bypassed the Governing Board as well as its cricket committee, which is against the constitution. The PCB constitution authorises the Governing Board to take any decision regarding the issue.

The chairman of the cricket committee Ali Raza, while taking strict notice of the matter, has asked two other members of the committee, Ijaz Butt and Munir Hafeez, to meet in Karachi on Wednesday.

Since the PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf had resigned from his position on Aug 18, the GB emerged as the lone powerful house within the PCB to take decisions.