ISLAMABAD: Inter-provincial Coordination Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Monday made some very telling off-the-cuff remarks during a serious discussion about the state of Pakistan cricket before a National Assembly standing committee, criticising the team’s poor batting performance and taking aim at the state broadcaster over its coverage.

During a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-provincial Coordination, chaired by MNA Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, the federal minister in an apparent reference to the poor batting display by national team in the ongoing ODI series against England, said that if the players were simply supposed to get out for a duck, he himself would also be willing to represent the national team.

“If zeroes are what is required, then I should also be given a chance to play for the national team,” the minister remarked.

At another point, MNA Iqbal Mohammad Ali Khan raised the issue of some foreign experts and Pakistan’s ex-cricketers holding talk shows and discussions on PTV Sports in English and said it was beyond the average cricket fan.

“Why is the state broadcaster paying exorbitant sums to these experts when the majority of Pakistanis do not understand what they are saying. “Yeh toh ghulami ka game hai,” he quipped.

The standing committee members also asked the PCB about two of its employees — the marketing director and the general manager for international cricket — who were given top slots in the cricket board without as much as submitting their degrees.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed confirmed that both officials had failed to submit their degrees and told the committee that both positions were meant for graduates.

The members of NA body then asked him as to why the two officials have been given a lengthy period of six months to submit their degrees.

It may be mentioned here that in the last meeting of PCB’s Board of Governors, held in the first week of June, the two officials were reportedly given six more months to submit their degrees but have yet to comply.

Earlier, the committee expressed its annoyance over the absence of PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan from the meeting and grilled Subhan and others over the frequent foreign tours by the PCB officials.

They termed the high number of foreign tours by PCB officials as “excessive visits”. However, the PCB COO told the meeting that the PCB had the right to send officials to foreign countries on assignments.

Briefing the committee, the PCB COO stated there was no limit on the number of officials who could accompany the cricket team during its visits abroad and cricket officials are appointed as per the cricketing and operational requirements of a particular tour.

He disclosed that the chairman and other senior officials including Najam Sethi are currently in UK for meetings with the International Cricket Council.

MNA Rana Mohammad Hayat Khan pointed out at this juncture that the details of meetings should be provided in the committee and the expenses incurred by PCB over the travel and stay of their families in the UK.

The committee also took serious notice of the team management sending Mohammad Hafeez back from the UK when he was not suffering from any serious injury.

The PML-N MNA Ramesh Kuman Vankwani accused the PCB of not supporting Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in fighting his case against the ECB for imposing a life ban on the bowler.

The PCB COO told the body that the Board was conducting promotional cricket programmes in 98 zones and districts and that there were currently around 45,000 registered players in the country.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2016