LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf welcomed ICC’s clearance of all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez’s bowling action but said that this could’ve been achieved earlier if the PCB had taken smarter decisions.

Speaking to Dawn on Thursday, Zaka said that the PCB should’ve sent both Hafeez and spin wizard Saeed Ajmal to Australia or South Africa for their bio-mechanic tests instead of India.

“India would never have wanted to clear Hafeez or Ajmal as they were big match-winners for Pakistan,” accused Zaka. “It was a conspiracy that their bowling actions were challenged by ICC umpires.

“Yet the PCB sent both Hafeez and Ajmal to the newly-established biomechanics lab in Chennai for the tests to clear their actions [following their respective bans].

“Brisbane [where Hafeez appeared for a test on Nov 17] would’ve been the ideal choice for the attempts to get the duo cleared in the first place.”

In stark contrast to Hafeez though, Ajmal’s action was cleared in Chennai after a failed test in Brisbane.

“But he only got clearance just before the 2015 World Cup and missed out,” Zaka claimed. “India wanted to keep him out of the World Cup.”

Zaka also suggested the PCB to organise a special camp for both Hafeez and Ajmal at the NCA to work on their remodeled actions as “both of them still have the potential to bowl at international level”.

He also hit out at the PCB for not organising a training camp for the Pakistan team before sending it to New Zealand where rains meant they couldn’t get match practice.

“It would’ve been a better move to set up training camps in Pakistan as rainy weather has always been a problem in New Zealand,” Zaka said.

Zaka, who was against the ICC’s Big Three formula of giving absolute power to India, England and Australia, also alleged that the PCB was not using kookaburra balls in domestic matches due to its high cost.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2016