By IANS
Karachi : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will henceforth not allow its players to write newspapers columns or give television/print interviews, its chairman Nasim Ashraf has said.
“We want our players to be completely focused on national duty while on tours,” Ashraf was quoted as saying by the Pakistani daily The News Saturday.
The move comes in the wake of Pakistan’s recent defeats by India in the Test as well as one-day international series.
Several Pakistani players — captain Shoaib Malik, vice-captain Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar — wrote regular newspaper columns or appeared in television interviews and went on internet chat.
Ashraf also said from now on the team management on tours will not recommend names as replacements for injured players, they can only request the selectors for a batsman, bowler or all-rounder as a replacement and it is for the selection committee to decide on the player to be sent.
Hitherto the tour team management, which included the team captain, vice-captain, coach and the manager, was entitled to ask for a particular player.
An embarrassing situation occurred during the second Test against India in Kolkata when the team management, which also included chairman of Salahuddin Ahmed who was present there, sought fast bowler Abdur Rauf in place of Umar Gul. But the PCB overruled the choice and instead sent Rao Iftikhar Anjum for the Bangalore Test.
Ashraf said that it has also been decided that the selectors, in consultation with the captain and coach, will also select reserve players before the start of tour.
“Replacements would be sent from among that pool of reserve players,” he said.