LAHORE, March 27: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf was on Tuesday grilled by the Senate Standing Committee on Sports over a number of sensitive issues including the World Cup fiasco, the doping scandal as well his undue interference in dressing room matters.
Senior Senate Committee member, Enver Baig, while talking to Dawn, said Dr Nasim told the meeting that poor batting as well as arbitrary decisions by captain Inzamam-ul-Haq resulted in team's debacle against the West Indies and minnow Ireland at the World Cup.
“The PCB chief disclosed that policy directives had been given to select players for national team through a panel of experts and former players, and not through an individual.
“He accepted full responsibility of Pakistan team’s debacle in the World Cup and said he had already sent in his resignation to President Pervez Musharraf.
“We commended the PCB chief’s move to tender in his resignation after the Cup fiasco although the same is yet to be accepted by the concerned authority,” said Enver.
The PCB chairman was also taken to task for the PCB’s failure in performing the doping tests on fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif which had become manadatory before the mega event.
“Dr Nasim replied that the dope tests of the two bowlers would be conducted when they go on their next assignment. However, when pressed, he agreed to conduct the tests within the next 30 days.”
The Senators further grilled the chairman over his unnecessary meddling in the dressing room affairs in South Africa and the West Indies to which he had no reply. “We informed him that the players had expressed their dissatisfaction over the presence of the PCB chief in the dressing room.”
The PCB chairman was also grilled over the issue of not implementing the new constitution in the PCB which has been run on ad hoc basis since the last eight years. The PCB chairman assured the Senators that he would furnish the Senate body with a reply in this regard in the next seven days depending on the fact that he is retained as the PCB chairman.
The Committee also emphasised on the need of launching a massive talent-hunt drive with the help of ex-Test players in order to revive the sagging fortunes of cricket in Pakistan.
Dr Nasim disclosed that a rupees one billion plan was underway to make grassy tracks at different grounds of the country to boost domestic cricket and to hunt and polish the talent at grassroots level.