Ready to put Pakistan cricket back on its feet but some PCB members want to keep me away: Wasim Akram

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Former Test captain and great, Wasim Akram, is ready to help get Pakistan cricket back on its feet but believes some members of the cricket board don’t want to see him doing this.

There were reports that some members of the board of governors of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn’t want the Chairman to consult him in cricket matters including in the fresh appointments to be made after the World T20.

Wasim said: “If some members don’t want the Chairman to consult me or seek my advice on an appointment of a new coach why is this, I think it is because they don’t want to see anything improve in our cricket,” Wasim told local media.

“I met with the Chairman for a short while at the Kolkata airport and that is all. But now I hear about this resistance to me being involved in Pakistan cricket,” he said.

Wasim said he was what he was because of Pakistan cricket and not because of the cricket board.

“I am always willing to help out Pakistan cricket and do my best to improve things. But if someone doesn’t want this it means they don’t want to see improvement in our cricket,” he said.

PCB chairman Shahryar Khan had told the media recently that he had spoken to Wasim about appointing a foreign or local coach. Wasim also felt that drastic improvement was required in Pakistan’s cricket system, particularly in the domestic cricket.

Read more: Wasim Akram says Pakistan cricket lagging behind 10 years from modern game

“We need to upgrade and modernize our cricket system because at this time we are 10 years behind the other big nations,” he said.

Wasim said it was useless finding someone to blame for the recent poor performances as the quality of cricket had fallen in Pakistan.

Shakil Sheikh, a senior member of the BOG, which heads the cricket committee and is also in the fact-finding committee formed by the board after the Asia Cup, is reported to have resisted involving Wasim and former captain Ramiz Raja in cricket affairs.

Shakil apparently told Shahryar at a meeting of the cricket committee on Wednesday that Wasim and Ramiz keep on criticizing the board and also interfere in team matters by trying to influence some players in the side.

He also raised questions about Wasim’s past with reference to fixing scandals and questioned how could the PCB trust or seek advice from him.

Also read: Pakistan cricket team not good enough to be in WT20 semi-finals: Waqar Younis