KARACHI, 22 November 2002 — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to use its influence to get a confirmation from the Indians if they would be touring Pakistan next April for Tests and One-Day Internationals.

ICC sources told Arab News‚ that the PCB has communicated to the ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed that they were concerned about the fate of next year’s tour which if not held would be another financial disaster for Pakistan cricket.

“Basically the Pakistan board is concerned that so far the Board of control for cricket in India (BCCI) has not contacted it or discussed the committed tour,” said one of the sources.

“Which is why they have now approached the ICC for assistance,” he added.

Interestingly Pakistan’s approach to the ICC coincides with the ongoing visit of Malcolm Speed to India where he will meet with BCCI officials to sort out the vexed issue of the players contract before the World Cup.

The Indian government has refused to allow its cricket team to play Pakistan in any bilateral match since May 2000 when Pakistan beat them in the Asia Cup final at Dhaka.

Since then the Indians have pulled out of a committed Test tour to Pakistan in January 2001 and then also refused to travel to Lahore to play in the Asian Test Championship in September last year. They eventually pulled out of the championship.

However, the two countries are scheduled to meet in the World Cup in early March in South Africa and the Indian government has said it has no objection to its team playing Pakistan in a multi-team event like the World Cup.

Experts remain skeptical whether the ICC can really do anything to help Pakistan convince the Indians to undertake the tour given their passive position in the past.

But they admit that it is a clever move from the Pakistan board as the ICC despite being a toothless tiger remains the sport’s world governing body.

“Pakistan has basically used a available option which is important since it has refused to sign the future tours program of the ICC,” one source said.

Infact ICC sources said that Pakistan had conveyed to the ICC that since India’s visit to Pakistan next April was part of the FTP, it was its responsibility to ensure the Indians kept their commitment.

One can draw his own conclusion whether the ICC can do this as just on Tuesday Malcolm Speed told a press conference in New Delhi that ICC was a only “clearing house” and it didn’t want a situation where it has to really think in terms of imposing penalty on a family member.

“Our aim is to develop the game and 50 per cent of the profits would go to Asian Cricket Council besides each board getting a “bulk” of the money from the World Cup sponsorship deal. “The associate members will also get “substantial” funding,” he said.

PCB Director Chishty Mujahid is also due to leave for Harare, Zimbabwe, this week to attend the ICC’s security committee meeting in which the BCCI chief executive would also be present.

Indications are that Mujahid would be taking up the issue of the April tour directly with Niranjan Shah, the BBCI CEO in Harare.

The manager of the touring Pakistan squad in Zimbabwe has submitted his report on the charges of ball-tampering against fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar during the first Test in Harare.

Match referee Clive Lloyd had strongly reprimanded Shoaib for tampering with the ball during the Zimbabwe second innings in Harare.

Pakistan won the match comfortably by 119 runs and also took the second Test in Bulawayo by 10 wickets.

Pakistan cricket board (PCB) spokesman Samiul Hasan confirmed that the report by Brigadier (retd) Khawaja Nasir had been received by the board.

“But in short he has also declared the matter closed as had the match referee after reprimanding Shoaib. As far as the PCB is concerned the matter is now closed,” he stated. He made it clear that no further disciplinary action was planned against the fast bowler.

“Basically we asked for the report for our own consumption and record. We just wanted to know about the process followed in the entire episode by the ICC match referee and what was Shoaib’s version.”

He said the report by the Pakistan manager outlined in detail the minutes of the meeting the match referee held with captain Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar and the feedback from the umpires.

PCB to send doctor to

nurse Shoaib’s injury

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given another example of his policy of sparing no expenses when it comes to the “welfare and care” of the senior team players.

On Wednesday it was confirmed that Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia has given approval to send Dr. Tauseef Razak to Zimbabwe to nurse fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar through a niggling knee injury.

Also accompanying the doctor will be the Pakistan all-rounder Abdur Razzaq who is being sent to Zimbabwe as he is under the care of Tauseef for his wrist injury.

The fact that the PCB has decided to send Tauseef Razak to Zimbabwe to nurse Shoaib gives the impression that he is carrying a bothersome knee problem which needs to be put straight before the team reaches South Africa on Dec. 2 for a most important assignment before the World Cup.

But a PCB official said that the injury was not that serious as conveyed by the team management and Shoaib can play in the five One-Day Internationals in Bulwayo and Harare.

“But it is the decision of the team management and the doctor that if they want to rest Shoaib for some of the matches, they can do so,” the official added.

He also justified the extra expenses on sending the two Razaks to join the team in the presence of physician Dr. Riaz and trainer Dennis Waight who are already attached with the team in the team interest.

“Tauseef Razak has a very good understanding with Shoaib as for the last one year he has been supervising his rehabilitation program from different injuries and knows well how to treat the knee injury.”

“Abdur Razzaq as it is, has been told by doctors that he can start playing again in mid-december and the idea behind also sending him is that he was also remain under the care of Tauseef Razak, who has been taking care of his wrist injury,” the official stated.

Razak fractured his wrist in the second Test against Australia last month in Sharjah and had been advised six weeks rest.

While the intentions of the PCB chief might be good and honest as no doubt Shoaib and Razzaq are expected to play key roles in South Africa and in the World Cup campaign, but at the same time this latest episode again raises the question does the PCB have dual policies while dealing with the players.

Because in the case of the senior pro Rashid Latif, the Board insisted he come back to Lahore so that the medical panel again consisting of Dr. Tauseef Razak and Meesaq Rizvi can access how well he has recovered from a neck injury, which forced him to miss the Tests in Zimbabwe.

The insistence came even though specialist neuro and orthoapaedic surgeons in Johannesburg after taking MRI scans, X-rays and other Tests had told Rashid that his injury was not a serious one and he could even resume playing in the One-day series in Zimbabwe from Oct. 23.

The specialists told Rashid all he needed was proper physiotherapy for his neck problem yet he was asked to return to Pakistan even though even the team coach had requested the Board that he be sent to Harare to rejoin the team.

Interestingly the PCB medical panel on Tuesday also found nothing seriously wrong with Rashid’s injury.

Akhtar carried the knee injury in the second Test against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo and the official said PCB is keen he recovers completely before the start of the tour of South Africa.

“Shoaib is a vital cog of the team and the feeling is if Dr. Razak is there to personally supervise his rehabilitation program, he would be 100 percent fit for the matches in South Africa,” he added.