News & Blogs from Pakistan
Posts tagged PCB
PCB will review players” penalties: Ijaz Butt
May 24th
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board”s (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt announced on Monday to review fines and bans imposed on seven top players after receiving a report from arbitrator Justice retired Irfan Qadir.
PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari presented an investigation report on national teams performance on the tour of Australia to the Senates standing committee which met here on Monday.
“The committee meeting was very constructive and we assured them on reviewing the penalties on the players but after getting the arbitrator”s report,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters.
Former captains Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were banned indefinitely on charges of “infighting which resulted in a negative influence on the team.”
Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul Hasan were banned for a year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars) each for disciplinary breaches.
Pakistan”s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal were fined three million rupees (35,000 dollars) each and placed on probation for six months.
Umar Akmal was fined two million rupees.
The penalties came after an evaluation committee investigated Pakistan”s tours of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia between November 2009 to February this year.
Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day and a Twenty20 in Australia, prompting the PCB to investigate the defeats.
Yousuf retired from cricket in protest, but the other players lodged appeals with the PCB-appointed tribunal.
Butt reiterated his stance on match-fixing, insisting there had been no wrongdoing despite allegations over Pakistan”s defeat in January”s Sydney Test.
Privilege motion to be brought against Ijaz Butt
May 23rd
ISLAMABAD: Statements made by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday has opened a new controversy.
On one hand, Senates standing committee for sports has announced to bring privilege motion against Ijaz Butt and on the other hand, a joint meeting of the standing committees of National Assembly and the Senate has been called for May 31.
Chairman Senate standing committee for sports senator Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi said that the PCB chairman are making allegations on senators just to hide his failures.
He said that senators privilege has been wounded from the statements by Ijaz Butt and a privilege motion against him would soon be presented in the Senate.
Sources said that a joint meeting of the standing committees for sports of both the National Assembly and the Senate has been called for may 31.
Performance of the Pakistan cricket team and the PCBs financial and administrative matters would be discussed at the meeting.
PCB chief dismisses allegations of match-fixing
May 23rd
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday dismissed allegations of match-fixing against the national team players.
Ijaz Butt added that if any of his subordinates raises the issue of match-fixing, “he is talking nonsense.””
In a leaked video recording of an inquiry committee hearing, Pakistan team coaches Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed raised suspicions about the performance of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal during the winless tour of Australia earlier this year.
Intikhab Alam said that he was flabbergasted when Kamran Akmal missed a run out of Shane Watson in the Sydney test and later came across suggestions of match-fixing.
However, Butt said the International Cricket Council”s Anti-Corruption Unit has instigated strict security measures for all international matches.
Nobody is allowed to enter into players” dressing room, only the manager carries a mobile phone with him during international matches and there are several other security measures which they take,”” Butt said.
It”s (match-fixing) all media hype and nothing else.””
Butt said former captain Younis Khan”s career was ruined by false match-fixing allegations when a parliamentarian accused Pakistan of throwing the semifinal of the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year.
The PCB fined and suspended seven cricketers _ including Younis on an inquiry committee recommendation for a lack of discipline and poor performance during the tour of Australia.
Butt said he approved all the fines and suspensions. Six players have since appealed against suspensions and fines.
The PCB chief said that arbitrator Irfan Qadir will submit his report to the cricket board”s governing board, which will take the final decision.
Let the appeals be completed and I will not comment until we get the final report from the arbitrator,”” Butt said.
PCB CHIEF PLAYS DOWN REPORTS OF MATCH FIXING
May 21st
KARACHI: Pakistan”s cricket chief Friday played down reports of match-fixing during the team”s disastrous tour of Australia, saying the game”s governing body has found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The International Cricket Council”s (ICC) anti-corruption unit confirmed on Thursday that it has been investigating Pakistan”s Sydney Test defeat against Australia but said the challenge was finding solid facts.
“ICC has all the right to investigate any series or any match, but as far as the Australia tour is concerned the ICC has already said there was no evidence,” Butt told French news agency. Butt said an independent PCB committee has already investigated the matter.
“We set up a committee to evaluate the Australian tour and now an independent judge is further dealing with the matter, so we will wait for his report,” said Butt.
Pakistan series loss to Australia under investigation
May 21st
Pakistan’s performance during their disastrous tour of Australia is being investigated by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit.
A leaked tape is said to show tour officials saying the defeat in the second Test was not just poor play.
Lord Paul Condon, chairman of the unit said: “We are satisfied that was a totally dysfunctional tour.”
Pakistan lost [...]
PCB BOARD TO REVIEW BUDGET ON MAY 23
May 20th
LAHORE: A meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) governing board will be held on May 23 whereas selection committee will meet on May 25 in Lahore.
Governing Board meeting has been summoned on May 23 to review 2010-11 budget, selection of captain for Test and national teams performance in T20 World Cup.
PCB selection committee will discuss the names of players for Asia Cup and England tour.
Also, hearing of appeals of former captain Shoaib Malik and Rana Naveed will be held on Saturday. Standing Committee for sports of National Assembly has summoned PCB officials on May 24.
YOUNIS APPEAL AGAINST INDEFINITE BAN DEFERRED
May 15th
ISLAMABAD: Younis Khan”s appeal against indefinite suspension from the national team was deferred Saturday until May 29.
Younis” lawyer, Mohammad Ahmed Qayyum, was unhappy that arbitrator Irfan Qadir didn”t order an immediate stay on the ban.
“We requested the arbitrator to at least issue an interim stay against the suspension but he deferred our request until May 29,”” Qayyum told The Associated Press. “It”s a stigma on my client as I feel he has done nothing wrong.””
Younis is among six Pakistan cricketers appealing against punishments imposed for indiscipline or poor performance during a tour to Australia earlier this year.
Only former captain Mohammad Yousuf, who has retired from international cricket, has not filed an appeal.
Qayyum said he had also filed an application to Qadir to cross examine members of the inquiry committee which recommended the suspensions and fines.
“We wanted to know on what grounds members of the inquiry committee recommended such harsh punishments, and for this we want to question them,”” Qayyum said.
Shoaib Malik, who was suspended for one year and fined two million rupees ($23,500), also appeared before the arbitrator on Saturday with his lawyer.
“The arbitrator listened to our arguments and now representatives of the Pakistan Cricket Board will present their arguments in the next hearing,”” Malik told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore.
The new date for Malik”s hearing was set for May 22.
The PCB formed the committee _ headed by its chief operating officer Wasim Bari _ to evaluate team”s woeful performance in Australia earlier this year where it lost three tests, five one-day internationals and a twenty20 game.
PCB suspended Younis and Yousuf for an indefinite period and fined Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal. Rana Naved was fined and suspended for one year.
The Difference between Principles and Needs
Mar 23rd
‘Principles’ and ‘Needs’, at first sight, don’t appear to be two readily comparable terms. The context in which each is used is often far removed from the other – like skewed lines in a three dimensional vector diagram. Yet, in the case of our politics…
