LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally permitted its five leading players to travel to Malaysia for a commercial shoot regarding the 2011 World Cup. An official of the board confirmed that Shahid Afridi, Younus Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq had been given permission to travel to Malaysia for two days for the shoot.
“The board has allowed them permission after the national training camp ended in Lahore. Another reason is that the beverages company making the commercial is a big supporter of cricket and the World Cup,” the spokesman said.
The PCB had initially refused permission to the five players for the shoot insisting they needed to focus on their training in the national camp for the tour to New Zealand. The spokesman said that the five players would leave for Malaysia after the camp and would join the team in Hong Kong en route to New Zealand.
The PCB has of late adopted a very strict policy of permitting players to sign endorsement contracts, sponsorship deals, playing in foreign leagues or hire agents.
PCB inducts former judge in Integrity Committee: The Pakistan Cricket Board has included retired Supreme Court judge Jamshed Ali Shah in its integrity committee to ensure a transparent selection process.
An official of the PCB confirmed that Justice Shah had been inducted on the committee after discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“The PCB and the ICC task force on Pakistan felt that we should have a former judge, who is an independent figure, on the committee which will continue to be headed by board chairman Ijaz Butt,” he said.
The official said the purpose of inducting the former judge on the integrity committee was to give it some independence and also to get legal help available as the committee would be dealing with issues of discipline and other related matters. The PCB had constituted its integrity committee last month after the ICC gave the PCB a deadline of 30-days to reform its administration and also seriously enforce anti-corruption and disciplinary measures in Pakistan cricket.
The integrity committee, which also includes chief selector Mohsin Khan, senior board official Zakir Khan, head of the domestic operations Sultan Rana, has been tasked with the responsibility of screening all players before they are picked up for any level of national team representation. The committee is also responsible for screening the players appearing in domestic cricket and to give clearance to the selectors about probable players.
The ICC task force had recently written to the PCB advising it to have a former judge or independent personality heading the integrity committee instead of Ijaz himself. But the board official said Ijaz would continue as chairman. “There is no doubt the importance of the committee is manifold and we are now very particular about giving clearance to players before they play for Pakistan,” he added.
