KARACHI, 27 December 2002 — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman on Monday admitted he was not happy with the team’s performance in the one-day series against South Africa.
But insisted he had still not lost hope of the team doing well in the World Cup.
“No I am not happy. I think we played much below par. We can do much better than this,” Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia said.
“But given our history and how we have managed to perform in the World Cup tournaments, I remain confident that the team will lift its performances at the right time.”
“We have been giving every sort of support and facilities to the players and management. It is up to them to perform on the field according to the expectations of the nation.”
“I am confident they will improve when the time comes. Even in the 1992 World Cup everyone had written us off but we came back to win the final,” Tauqir said.
The PCB chief on Saturday confirmed that Waqar Younis would lead the team in the World Cup putting to rest rumors and speculations about Wasim Akram making another comeback as captain.
“We did what we thought was the right decision. The team is talented it is all a question of getting things right.”
Although the 4-1 loss to South Africa in the one-day series has dampened the spirits of the cricket fans, yet hope remains that things will improve in the World Cup.
One reason for this basically being that it is obvious to all that while their is nothing wrong with the team, the management needs to settle the batting order and particularly the opening slots instead of moving around the batsmen like on a chess board.
Which has not allowed them to settle down and play at one position.
Tauqir also made it clear that the PCB had never said anything about changing the captain and this was all suggested in the media reports.
On the issue of announcing the final 15-member World Cup squad by Dec. 31, the PCB chief said the board had no plans to make changes to their provisional squad.
He, however, said that Pakistan see no harm in the International Cricket Council (ICC) allowing teams to pick players in their final squad from outside the provisional list of 30 players.
“No, we see no harm in something like that. If the ICC wants to allow teams to do it would have no objections.”
“It is for the ICC to decide. The current ICC rule is that no player from outside the pool of 30 players can be considered for final selection. And we will abide by that,” Tauqir said.
Pakistan’s assurance will come as some moral support for the Australians who due to an oversight didn’t include Australian skipper Steve Waugh and legspinner Stuart MacGill in their provisional list of 30 players.
With champion legspinnner Shane Warne now injured and in doubt for the World Cup, the Australian Cricket Board has indicated that it wanted to consider Waugh and MacGill for the final World Cup squad.
The ICC has given a deadline of Dec. 31 for teams to submit their final 15-member squads but it has made it clear the final selection can only be made from the provisional list of 30 players submitted last month by all participating teams.
Time has come for ICC, BCCI
to sort out problems: Zia
The PCB chief Gen. Zia believes that the time has come for the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to sort out their problems over the signing of the World Cup players contracts.
“We see it as purely an internal matter between them. And we would not like to get involved. But the longer the issue lingers on it will have adverse effects on other teams preparing for the World Cup,” Tauqir said in an interview.
He pointed out that Pakistan and its players had willingly signed the exclusive players contract simply because the contracts were finalized with the approval of the executive board members of the ICC which includes India.
“I think everyone has his view on the matter. But when it is a policy decision of the executive board, we have to abide by it.”
He stated that Pakistan would follow the guidelines and directives of the ICC in this matter for the World Cup.
He also called upon the Test-playing nations to support the ICC decision to clear Zimbabwe for the 2003 World Cup matches.
Pakistan’s appeal comes in the wake of calls by politicians and former Test players of various countries to boycott Zimbabwe as a World Cup venue.
“Pakistan fully supports the ICC decision to clear Zimbabwe for the World Cup matches. And we feel the other nations should now support it wholeheartedly,” he stated.
“The way we see it the decision is part of a ICC resolution. And every member country is bound to support it,” the PCB chief said.
“Our point is that a line has to be drawn somewhere between politics and sports. These two must be kept apart,” the PCB chief said.
A 10-member ICC delegation visited Zimbabwe last month to monitor the security situation in light of the economic and political crisis gripping the country.
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed told a news conference last week that the delegation found no reason in terms of security and safety of the players to relocate the matches in February and March.
But said the ICC had a contingency plan in case the situation deterioration in the perceived levels of safety in Zimbabwe.
Matches in Harare and Bulawayo involving Zimbabwe, Namibia, England, Australia, the Netherlands and Pakistan will be staged in February and March in the sport’s premier event.
Tauqir pointed out that Pakistan had recently played in Zimbabwe and found absolutely no problems with the security even in Harare.
Pointing out that Pakistan itself had been at the receiving end of teams refusing to tour Pakistan citing security problems, it was well placed to understand the feelings of the Zimbabwe cricket union and government on calls by some people to relocate the World Cup matches from Harare and Bulawayo.
“The point to note is that no country has placed any sporting sanctions on Zimbabwe so why should cricket be different.”
Tauqir said it was after a lot of hard work and persuasion that finally it had got confirmations in writing from South Africa and Bangladesh that they would be touring in September-November 2003 to play separate Test series.
“I think our decision to host ICC events and clinics in the last few months. To invite foreign coaches to Pakistan and to finally get the ICC president to pay a visit has started to pay dividends. These things I think have helped change the perception of the rest of the cricket world toward playing in Pakistan,” he added.
