I am not resigning, says Pakistan cricket chief

Published April 1, 2016
Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan gestures during a press conference in Lahore. — AFP/File
Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan gestures during a press conference in Lahore. — AFP/File

LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan says he has no intentions of resigning in the aftermath of the team's disastrous World Twenty20 campaign.

In a hurriedly convened media briefing on Friday, Shaharyar, 82, rubbished reports circling in media that he was ready to step down.

"There is no truth in the rumours that I am considering stepping down," Shaharyar told reporters outside the Gaddafi Stadium.

Shaharyar, who is heading the Pakistan Cricket Board for the second time, said that he had received the inquiry report on the team's poor show in Asia Cup T20 and World T20 and will only be able to comment after studying it.

Pakistan were knocked out of the World T20 after losing three of its four group matches, including a loss to rival India.

Team manager Intikhab Alam, in his assessment, termed Shahid Afridi as a ‘clueless’ captain in the wake of the team’s early exit from the tournament.

In the Asia Cup T20, too, Pakistan only managed to secure victories against the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, while losing comprehensively to arch-rivals India and Bangladesh.

Alam, who was the manager of the team when Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, also questioned the mental alertness of the Pakistan players and said they lacked physical fitness.

The 82-year-old former diplomat was appointed as the chairman of the PCB by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on August 16, 2014.

His previous stint as the board supremo, which began on December 10, 2003 and lasted till October 7, 2006, was seen as a successful tenure for Pakistan cricket.

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