Pakistan’s Hong Kong Super Sixes winning team got richer by Rs 200,000 for their superlative performance as new Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf on Tuesday honoured the national heroes on their return from Hong Kong. Pakistan won fifth title in nine years. The Pakistan team won the title beating England by 35 runs and Umar Akmal was named the player of the tournament and that earned him an extra Rs 100,000 from the PCB.
Talking to journalists on the occasion, the new PCB chairman pointed that three coaches are the requirement of time. “There should be three coaches for the Pakistan cricket team, one each for each department of the game,” he maintained.
Ashraf, who has replaced Ijaz Butt as the chairman of the PCB, said that there should be separate batting, bowling and fielding coaches. “Separate coaches will help improve the technique of our players,” Ashraf said.
Commenting on bringing international cricket back to Pakistan, Ashraf said international teams should tour Pakistan. “We have a huge challenge in front of us and have to work very hard to bring international cricket back to Pakistan,” he said while hosting a farewell for former chairman Ijaz Butt whose three-year tenure ended last month.
“We have to remove the negativity created because of the spot fixing trial and move forward,” he added, referring to the verdict against former Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.
Since the attack in Lahore, which left eight people dead and seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach injured, no international cricket has taken place in Pakistan with teams refusing to tour because of security fears.
Pakistan has been forced to play their home series at neutral venues in United Arab Emirates (UAE), England and New Zealand. Sri Lanka refused an invitation to play in Pakistan in the wake of attacks on a military base in Karachi in May this year, forcing their hosts to play the series in UAE, with the third and final Test starting in Sharjah on Thursday.
“I am writing to the heads of all the chairmen of other boards in a hope to revive our relations,” he added.
