KARACHI: Pakistan chief selector Moin Khan, ordered back home from the World Cup following a visit to a casino, avoided running into an angry group of youths after he was ushered out of Karachi Airport on Thursday.

The former Test captain slipped away quietly into a waiting car as the angry youngsters stood outside the airport armed with banners and eggs.

Television pictures showed some of the youngsters smashing the eggs on their heads in anger after learning Moin had left by a side entrance.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recalled Moin following his visit to a Christchurch casino on the eve of the team’s match against West Indies. The PCB is to hold crisis talks with Moin this weekend.

“I went to the casino to have dinner with some friends. But in hindsight it was an inappropriate judgment on my part given the disappointment in the team’s performance in the World Cup,” Moin, who won the World Cup with Pakistan in 1992, told a local television channel.

“I apologise to the people for my action and I never realised my action would have such serious repercussions.”

The PCB is already planning to revamp the selection committee after the World Cup, so Moin could be out of a job.

“I don’t want to jump to conclusions,” said Moin, who is planning to talk to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan in a couple of days. “Let me first meet the chairman.”

Pakistan have so far suffered a torrid time at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, losing both of their matches to date, to India and the West Indies.

They are bottom of the seven-team Pool B, which includes non-Test playing nations such as Ireland and the UAE.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2015

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