PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt starts War of Words with Wasim Akram

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PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt starts War of Words with Wasim Akram
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ijaz Butt, started another War of Words with former Pakistan skipper, Wasim Akram.
The PCB’s boss has criticised Akram for giving statements against the cricket board.
While speaking on telephone in a TV show on Express News, the Chairman of the PCB has slammed former left-arm fast bowler and highlighted the controversies Akram had been facing during his career.   
"He should look at his past and record and then give such statements. I don’t want to say anything here but Wasim would be better off doing commentary in India", Butt remarked.
He has also claimed that PCB has offered Akram to coach Pakistan but he refused to take the responsibilities and in the meantime he has been busy in India.   
Butt has advised 45-year old, Akram to stop interfering in the matters related to Pakistan cricket.
Earlier, the PCB started a clash with the star all-rounder, Shahid Afridi that has irked many former cricketers, including Wasim Akram.
Akram, who represented Pakistan in 104 Tests and 356 One Day Internationals (ODIs), has asked Butt to provide reasons for sacking the hard-hitting batsman, Afridi.
"Shahid was doing well as captain and had motivated the team well. He led the team to the World Cup semifinals and also won the One Day series in the West Indies. So when a successful captain is removed, the Board should be sensible enough to give the reasons for the decision. They can't just take such a big decision and say they will give details later on", Akram added.
The Lahore born former captain took 502 ODI wickets and grabbed 104 Test wickets. He was had the highest tally of wickets in the 1992 World Cup, and helped his country win the event.
However, he also criticised Afridi for using harsh words against the PCB and making public statements. Akram thinks that the former skipper should have communicated his grievances to PCB in private

Pakistan Cricket Board v Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari gets involved

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Pakistan Cricket Board v Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari gets involved
Politicians in Pakistan are getting themselves involved in Shahid Afridi’s case and the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman, Ijaz Butt, has requested them to keep themselves away so that proper disciplinary action can be taken against him.
Butt said, "It is disappointing that despite Afridi pleading guilty to the offences, some political functionaries are extending their support with a view to influencing the disciplinary process being followed by PCB. An understanding needs to be developed among all stakeholders, media and the politicians that no one is above the law and that, for maintaining discipline within the team, it is absolutely imperative that we carry out this process without any fear or favour”.
Shahid Afridi pleaded guilty as he broke the discipline of the board by speaking openly against the coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Waqar Younis, on his unnecessary involvement in the team matters during their recent visit of West Indies.
He also spoke against the team manager, Intikhab Alam, blaming him for not keeping his word.
Afridi has played 325 ODI matches for Pakistan and has recently led them to series victories against New Zealand, West Indies and to the World Cup 2011 semi-finals.
He was removed from captaincy of the Pakistan team for the two match One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland but was included as a player. Misbah-ul-Haq was nominated as captain and he led the side to 2-0 victory in the series.
Afridi did not participate in the series against Ireland because he had to visit his ailing father.
The Chairman of PCB has been approached by a few politicians of the country including the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, who has promised Afridi that he will try to get his case resolved. Malik, also added that he was a great fan of Afridi and would like to see him on the cricketing field again.
Afridi met the Co-Chairman of Pakistan Peoples’ Party, Bilawal Bhutto in London and requested him to look into the matter. He also stated that he will try to involve the President of Pakistan, Asif Zardari, in his case.
PCB has been blamed in the past for not taking disciplinary action against players that violate the rules. Butt has requested politicians to let the PCB work freely so that no player can breach the code of conduct in the future.

PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD V SHAHID AFRIDI - WASIM AKRAM GETS INVOLVEDPAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD V SHAHID AFRIDI - WASIM AKRAM GETS INVOLVEd

Former skipper of Pakistan, Wasim Akram, has expressed his disappointment over the way the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) handled the situation between Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi.

The 45-year old, left-arm pacer insisted that the PCB should have given a solid reason to sack Afridi because he was a successful captain and deposing him without any reason was just not an appropriate course of action by the cricket board.

“Shahid was doing well as captain and had motivated the team well. So when a successful captain is removed, the Board should be sensible enough to give the reasons for the decision. They can't just take such a bigdecision and say they will give details later on", said Akram, who led Pakistan to the ICC World Cup 1999 final.

While showing full support for Afridi, Akram, admitted that that he did not favour the way the all-rounder lashed out against the PCB in the media after his sacking as the captain of the One Day International (ODI) team.

Akram suggested that instead of speaking out on the media, the 31-year old Afridi, should have held a meeting with the officials of the board to resolve all outstanding issues.

The Sultan of Swing insisted that the all-rounder still had years of cricket left in him and should be utilized by the PCB instead of being sidelined.

Akram revealed that the incident had marked another dent in the reputation of Pakistan cricket in the eyes of the world, and there is a growing concern in the world of cricket that there is something seriously wrong with the sport in Pakistan.

He predicted that the current situation was another case of a power struggle where the coach wants more powers than the skipper of the team. Speaking to newsmen, he said, “It is only in Pakistan that a coach wants more authority. In other countries it is the captain who calls the shots and the coach is there to support him. Many people didn't know Gary Kirsten was India's coach in the World Cup".

He insisted that matter should be resolved by the PCB as soon as possible to stabilize the already unstable national team.

Afridi’s legal counsel terms PCB disciplinary hearing as unconstitutional

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Afridi’s legal counsel terms PCB disciplinary hearing as unconstitutional
Pakistan’s former skipper, Shahid Afridi, is likely to boycott the disciplinary hearing, which has been called by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on June 8, 2011, in Lahore.
Afridi’s legal adviser, Syed Ali Zafar, has claimed that PCB adopted a procedure, which violates the law of Pakistan.
Zafar stated, “The PCB wants the hearing be kept in close camera, which according to us, is unconstitutional in this country. The hearing itself is illegal and therefore we are keeping all our options open (to boycott the hearing)”.
Earlier, the PCB formulated a disciplinary committee, and asked star all-rounder, Afridi, to present himself and give an explanation on his violation of the central contract clauses.
The disciplinary committee includes, the director of domestic cricket, Sultan Rana, the general manager of domestic cricket, Shafiq Ahmed and the manager of international cricket, Usman Wahla.
PCB’s legal consultant, Taffazul Rizvi will present the board’s point of view during the proceedings of the hearing.
Earlier, the PCB dismissed the star player from ODI captaincy due to his media outbursts against the board and team management.
The Board stripped Afridi of his ranks and assigned Misbah-ul-Haq as the captain in his place.
Eventfully, Afridi, who led the Men in Green during their World Cup campaign, refused to play under the current Board management. He announced his conditional retirement and went ahead to criticize the Board’s actions.
His media outbursts further led the Board to terminate his central contract and revoke his No Objection Certificate.
Without the NOC, the all-rounder will not be able to participate in domestic leagues abroad.
However, Afridi requested the board to allow him to join the English county Hampshire, but the PCB refused.
Now, the highest wicket taker of the ICC World Cup 2011 is all set to face the board through his legal counsel.
“My client is victimised and therefore we have decided to fight this case, yes, this is our first cricketer’s case, but we are confident of winning it,” said Zafar, Afridi’s lawyer.