-File photo

LAHORE: Patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Asif Ali Zardari has rejected any amendment in the constitution of the Board to make it democratic on the instruction of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Chairman Zaka Ashraf told the members of the general body in its annual meeting held at a local hotel here on Tuesday.

Dawn learnt from reliable sources that the general body members were informed in detail by the PCB chief about President Zardari’s decision. The patron, while rejecting the idea of any amendment in the Board constitution, clearly advised the board that the ICC should have no interference in the internal system of Pakistan and should run their own system.

It may be mentioned that the ICC has set March 2013 deadline for all its affiliated members/boards to make their system more democratic and to ensure that no kind of interference is done in their affairs by their respective governments. The maximum punishment for not following the instructions could amount to disaffiliation of the PCB from the ICC.

Sources further said the PCB’s bold stance against the ICC was, perhaps, inspired by a recent move from the Indian government to get control of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) which is quite similar to the system practised in Pakistan.

A motion had recently been moved in India’s Lok Sabha to attain complete control of the BCCI by the government. However, the analysts warned that the PCB should not blindly follow India in this matter as it could backfire badly to further isolate Pakistan cricket.

The balance sheets presented to the general body members showed financial losses to the tune of Rs1.1 billion for the PCB in the year 2010-11.

Moreover, the regional heads who are also the members of the general body expressed their annoyance over the attitude of the PCB chairman and accused him of ignoring them despite the fact that they were doing great efforts at the grassroots level to produce international-level players. Later, the PCB chairman invited all the regional heads to his office and held a two-hour meeting to sort out the matter, the sources said.

The regional heads, apparently, demanded direct interaction with Zaka Ashraf while lamenting the fact that the PCB’s bureaucracy was not allowing them to work closely with the chairman.

They demanded of the chairman that National Cricket Academy coaches should work under the control of the regional heads throughout the year and the regional heads should be empowered to make their performance reports at the end of the annual calendar of activities.

The sources further said that both Lahore and Karachi regions have again repeated their demand to give them a permanent place in the Governing Board since they are two of the biggest regions in the country.

The PCB on Tuesday issued an official press release which said that as many as 112 members including presidents of District Association, Regional Heads, Representatives of Departments, Chairperson Women Wing, Pakistan Blind and Deaf Cricket Associations attended the general body.

Five former chairmen also attended the meeting in their capacity as honorary members. They are Khalid Mahmood, Dr Zafar Altaf, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Tauqir Zia, Sheharyar M. Khan and Ijaz Butt.

The agenda of the meeting comprised approval of the minutes of last AGM (held in 2011), to consider the Annual Report 2011 and Future Programmes as devised by the Governing Board, to consider the Audited Accounts and Budget Estimates and to make appropriate recommendations to the Governing Board for the promotion of cricket in Pakistan.

“All items were discussed threadbare in a candid manner by the members and the requisite approvals were granted after detailed deliberations on each point. The former chairmen also gave decent inputs during the meeting.

“Khalid Mahmood suggested that apart from full members of the ICC, the PCB should also try to invite the associate members. Mr Zafar Altaf suggested that Pakistan cricket be marketed more aggressively so that it remains financially viable. Gen. Tauqir Zia promising support to the present chairman and the management, reiterated the need to invite the ICC’s associate members for short series. Sheharyar Khan also had a word of praise for the Pakistan women’s team which has done well in recent times. He also appreciated the fact that the agenda of the meeting had been circulated in advance, helping the members to come well prepared for he important moot.

“Ijaz Butt, other than praising Zaka and Co’s efforts, acknowledged its chief patron Asif Ali Zardari’s gesture of raising the issue of recommencing the bilateral ties between the two leading sub-continental nations at the highest level with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in India on his recent visit,” the press release said.

The PCB chairman, in his address, emphasised that all Pakistanis should contribute towards bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.

“I believe we have performed excellently on the cricket front, as is evident from the consistently appreciable results, especially in the Test series against England which is the world’s top-ranked side, and the recent Asia Cup triumph after 12 years. These achievements have induced self-confidence in the team and the players’ morale quite understandably is high and positive.

“But I believe we need to keep things in perspective, some self-analysis of the situation in the not-too-distant past is in order. We have had spells of success before, but never the consistency that is the hallmark of great teams. When we are winning, we allow smugness and complacency to take over and that is where the degeneration sets in.

“We are determined to bring international cricket back to Pakistan, by guaranteeing the teams that visit us with watertight security.

Afghanistan has already been here. And I myself and my management team have striven to convince the Bangladesh Cricket Board to visit us by reassuring them that Pakistan is a safe destination for cricket.”

He said his top priorities are strict adherence to merit, no compromise on discipline and zero tolerance for corrupt practices.

“The aim of the current PCB management is that Pakistan’s first-class cricket should be just that: first class, and in every sense of the word.

Steps are afoot to achieve that. And this involves not just lots of endeavour but a great deal of expense too.

“From the razzmatazz in the final of our Faysal Bank Super8 Twenty20 event that concluded on April 1, 2012, it should be obvious that we want to get the best mileage from our local events by enhancing their value as a spectacle.

“And last but not the least, we are actively engaged in launching Pakistan Premier League, on the line of such events elsewhere. The PCB is working on it and I shall soon be able to share something concrete with the General Body on this.

“Let’s all strive to make Pakistan the No. 1 team across all three formats. We have the potential to return with honours from wherever cricket is played. It is about time we realised that potential.”