The Pakistan Cricket Board is assessing different options to bring international teams to Pakistan and is also devising programmes to educate the players, it was learnt Saturday. PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf said before leaving for the ICC meeting that all-out efforts would be made to bring international cricket back to Pakistan.
He said that all important measures would be taken to make the players skillful and as part of his future plan he also meet former chairmen of the PCB to take their feedback on ways for the improvement in the working of the board.
He said everything possible will be done to address the reservations of neighbours like Sri Lanka and India so that they visit Pakistan. “The PCB wanted to see the teams of two countries play on Pakistani grounds,” he maintained.
On spot-fixing, he said the scandal and the conviction of three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir by a British court had created bad a image of the country, which was very unfortunate.
He said that in future, the PCB would be more vigilant and the activities of players would be monitored to avoid recurrence of such events.
He said three Pakistani players were very talented and it was very unfortunate incident.
He said: “The PCB wants to play a role on this issue and has offered help to the ICC in probing the matter.”
He suggested that the ICC should also take all the cases of corruption and spot fixing and those countries involved in this activity would be given equal treatment.
The PCB Chairman said that there was a dire need to have close coordination among all the cricket boards of world to stamp out corruption from cricket.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to upgrade all education programmes for the country’s young cricketers to ensure that no other cricketer falls in to traps of ‘spot fixing’, which has landed three of the country’s cricketers behind bars in London.
“Strict vigilance protocols will be introduced to monitor the game, devise appropriate rules and procedures of conduct, and keep away bad elements always on the lookout to trap players,” he said.
Meanwhile reports from different quarters suggest that former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja would be the next Chief Operating Officer of the PCB.
Reports said that Ramiz had been offered the job by none other than the chairman himself.
Ramiz has held the position under Lt Gen Tauqir Zia and later resigned when Shaharyar Khan was made the chairman on difference of opinion. That was the period when India first visited Pakistan after 13 years gap in 2004. He is presently working as a commentator in the ongoing Pakistan-Sri Lanka series.
