LAHORE, July 15: Citing continuous defeats and turmoils on and off the field, former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad has urged President Pervez Musharraf to sack the entire hierarchy of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to save the country from further embarrassment.

Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, Miandad stated that a non-technocrat has been ruining the game for several years but no action was taken, which, he added, was surprising for every patriotic citizen of Pakistan.

“I was in the US during the last few days. And I can’t tell what feelings the Pakistanis there have about the cricketing affairs of the country,” Miandad, a legend, said.

“Every day there is a new controversy in the board and it is due to the non-technocrat persons handling the affairs of the country’s most important game; it is the right time for the President (Musharraf), to remove the entire board immediately and bring technocrats,” he insisted.

“The game of cricket is also a source for creating national unity but unfortunately the defeats and back-to-back controversies are causing great disappointment among Pakistan cricket fans, which is not good,” Miandad, a 1992 World Cup hero, noted.

He further said the PCB had given undue support to both Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar in the past just for victories but earned nothing, instead the country’s name was defamed.

“Both Shoaib and Asif had been rightly banned for two and one year (respectively) for positive dope tests in 2006. But the same PCB monarchy influenced to get both of them free by its own appellate tribunal with the desire that they (bowlers) will help them win the 2007 World Cup. But all these efforts produced nothing positive; instead they encouraged the players and both remained active in more indiscipline cases after that,” Miandad, a veteran of 124 Tests and 233 one-dayers, emphasised.

“The people throughout the world are criticising our country and they are taking advantages of such incidents like Asif’s,” he said.

The former master batsman also criticised the PCB for bugging the rooms of its staff for tapping private conversation.

“The Supreme Court has given a ruling against bugging but the PCB overlooked it,” he expressed. “The recent rulings of the courts regarding the cases of Salim Altaf and Shoaib Akhtar are open secrets what abilities the PCB has in taking decisions,” he expressed.

He also said that the PCB has started rewarding players and officials on minor achievements but, he continued, in the upcoming contests the country earns adverse results.

On the recently held Asia Cup tournament, Miandad said Pakistan’s performance was mediocre in the continental event, adding no action was taken on finishing third, which he termed surprising.