Apologetic Razzaq likely to get a hefty fine

Having criticized Pakistan’s T20 skipper, Mohammad Hafeez, for excluding him from the playing-11 for the semi-final of the ICC World T20 2012 against Sri Lanka at Colombo, Abdul Razzaq is likely to be handed over a hefty fine for breaching Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB’s) code of conduct.
The all-rounder was given a show-cause notice last week, which asked for a clarification about his remarks on the T20 captain.
“Razzaq has violated the code of conduct and we have served him a show-cause notice. He has seven days to answer the notice,” PCB’s spokesman, Nadeem Sarwar reported to have said.
The cricketer from Lahore replied that he had given the statements in anger as he wanted to help Pakistan win and did not want to hurt anyone.
According to reports, the PCB is not satisfied with the experienced cricketer’s response, mulling over penalizing him, so that players are discouraged to make controversial statements in future.
Abdul Razzaq made a comeback to the national team during the T20 series against Australia in United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month. However, the explosive batsman failed to win the team management’s confidence, which opted to make him sit on the bench for most part of the World T20 in Sri Lanka.
The 32-year-old cricketer played just one match in the mega event, scoring a 17-ball 22, with the help of two boundaries and a six, against Australia.
Razzaq, who was not selected in Pak team for its most important match of the event, the semi final in Sri Lanka recently, blamed Hafeez for his ouster from the side by saying “it was his (Hafeez’s) own decision to sideline me and no other was involved in it as the skipper did not want him in the side for the semi final,” he had said.
After the loss in the all-important fixture against the home team, Hafeez had expressed that it was a team management’s decision to leave out the all-rounder.
However, upon landing back home, Abdul Razzaq publicly expressed his anger over Hafeez and claimed that he would have made the difference in the crunch match, if he was not dropped.
“It was Hafeez’s decision not to pick me for the semi-final, not anyone else’s, he should now speak up and admit it was his own decision,” said the all-rounder. “I was very sad and disappointed to not get a chance to play in the semi-final. I was mentally prepared for the big match and it came as a huge letdown to know I was not playing.”
Razzaq in his reply side that what ever he said did not mean to focus any one special not to hurt some ones feelings.
“I respect Hafeez as a captain and as a friend and what I said was in the heat of the moment as my team failed to qualify for the semi final,” said the all rounder in his reply.
Razzaq broke PCB’s players code of conduct by speaking to the media without getting Board’s permission. The PCB is showing zero tolerance against such incidents in which players are going to media without prior permission from the Board.
“I did not mean to hurt some one and it was really a bad feeling to see my side losing from outside (not being part of the team),” said the all rounder who in his reply has assured the PCB regarding not happening of an such an act on his part in future.
He said he played only one game of the Cup which was also a frustration for him and he could not control his emotions after his team’s defeat in the semi final and criticized the captain on his return. He also wrote in the reply that Pak team was capable of winning the Cup and the semi final.
The reply submitted by Razzaq clearly shows that it has been drafted by the legal experts as in the end (reply) he has said that his aim was not to create a controversy. “I assure the PCB that I will be very careful in future and will not be involved any such matter.