Singapore fiasco: PCB ex-bigwigs fault Patron Nawaz

KARACHI: At least two former chairmen of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) believe that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – who is also the patron-in-chief of PCB – shares the blame for Pakistan’s ‘costly indecisiveness’ on the ‘Big Three’ issue. Repeated requests from the incumbent PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, for an audience with the prime minister fell on deaf ears. And Tauqir Zia, a former PCB chief, says Nawaz should have met Ashraf because he was going to represent Pakistan in Saturday’s crucial ICC meeting in Singapore. “The lack of interest by our own patron [Nawaz Sharif] in meeting Ashraf gave the world [Big Three] more courage to press their case. This shouldn’t have happened. The prime minister should have met the PCB chairman to come up with a clear policy,” Zia told The Express Tribune. “First we should accept the blame instead of blaming others because it was Pakistan that didn’t have its own house in order before such an important ICC meeting,” he added. Asked about the possible future course for Pakistan, Zia said the PCB shouldn’t react emotionally and should instead take corrective measures. “Pakistan has two options: 1.) to leave the strong group led by India in the ICC – which will be a mad decision;2.) to forget the past and bring in someone like Ehsan Mani or Shaharyar Khan as PCB chief to pursue vigorous diplomacy on international front. The second option is more practical,” he said. Another former PCB chairman, Khalid Mahmood, shares Zia’s views. “As a former PCB chairman, my main concern is to protect the game,” he said in an interview earlier. “In order to end uncertainty over the cricketing affairs, the prime minister, in his capacity as the patron-in-chief of the PCB, should have taken a firm stand after taking all stakeholders into confidence.” Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2014.