KARACHI, Oct 7: Salahuddin Haider, the Sindh chief minister's adviser for information and archives, has refuted Pakistan Cricket Board's claims that he was issued complimentary tickets for Wednesday's tri-series match.

In a rejoinder to the PCB statement on Thursday, Salahuddin reiterated he never sought tickets for personal use as claimed by the PCB. "I want to clarify that the PCB did not give me six complimentary passes as the PCB chairman claimed in a press release on Wednesday.

"Furthermore, I turned down the PCB offer of four free tickets since I wanted all members of the match press gallery committee to be treated at par." The adviser has asked the PCB chief to explain the whereabouts of 100 passes of the Chairman Box at the National Stadium.

"The provincial ministers were treated shabbily, and were issued only two passes each for the hospitality boxes which were against their status. "Most of them, in fact, refused the PCB invitation," he claimed.

He urged the PCB chairman to explain how many VIP tickets were sold and how many distributed free as the Javed Miandad Enclosure was not even half filled during the match. -PPI