LAHORE, Nov 10: In an interestingly apparent change in its priorities, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday declared to press ahead with preparations for the coming international contests at home while signalling that probe of the alleged wrongdoings of the previous management is now secondary for them.

“We have decided to move forward as there is a hectic season ahead. A home series against India followed by Australia and then the ICC Champions Trophy; and so we should focus on these [contests] instead of probing the misdeeds of the previous management,” Saleem Altaf, PCB’s new Chief Operating Officer, told the media at a press conference following the first Governing Board meeting that was held under the new chairman of the board Ijaz Butt.

Mismanagement had been reported during the tenure of Dr Nasim Ashraf. Shafqat Naghmi, the preceding chief operating officer alone, was facing several charges of mismanagement.

Nine members, out of 15, of the Governing Board, attended the meeting and confirmed Saleem as the new COO in place of Naghmi. Earlier, Saleem was acting as the PCB Director General.

Elaborating on other points of the meeting, Saleem said all the members had been advised to send their proposals for reviving the current financial budget, as the board could not maintain its expenditures, with the present sources of income.

“The PCB could not earn [a considerable amount of] income [through sponsorship etc] due to cancellation of the home series against Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy tournament. So, we have to cut the budget in many areas and a revised budget will be presented before the Governing Board at its next meeting in December,” he added.

Saleem further said that the members, keeping in view the present financial state [of the PCB], would prepare their suggestions.

On the formation of new senior and junior selection committees, Saleem said they had also been deferred till the next Governing Board meeting.

The new chairman, after assuming charge in October, had formed an interim three-member senior selection committee, headed by Saleem Jaffer, for the One-day International series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi. Ijaz had also disbanded the junior selection committee.

He also said that the performance of the Regional Development Managers and Regional Development Officers was being watched, adding that a decision about their future was also on the cards.

Sources, however, told Dawn that all posts of the RDMs and RDOs would be abolished as they, instead of delivering results, had been trying to control the elected regional and district office-bearers.

To a question, Saleem hinted that the PCB staff strength might be reduced.

“To slash the expenditures the performance and importance of all the departments [of the board] will be reviewed before taking any decision. Therefore, the staff strength also comes under the policy,” he stated.

Saleem further informed that the PCB constitution was also discussed and all the members were asked to prepare their suggestions in the next five days. A constitutional committee, under Farooq H. Naek, the Federal Law Minister, is preparing a new constitution for the PCB and the Governing Board members’ suggestions would be forwarded to that committee which is scheduled to meet on Nov 20.

Saleem, whose services had been suspended by the previous PCB chairman on the charges based on bugging, to a question said that an inquiry into the bugging case was under way by a two-member committee comprising Khizar Hayat and Asif Sohail who will submit their findings by the end of this month.