PCB backs under-fire captain Malik

By Omar Khalid, IANS,

Karachi : Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has refused to sack Shoaib Malik as captain in spite of mounting criticism after Pakistan’s humiliating 234-run defeat in the ODI series decider against Sri Lanka last week.


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Butt was quoted as saying in an interview Monday that the board cannot take action against Malik on the basis of one or two results and will decide about its course of action after receiving a report from the team management.

Pakistan won the series opener by eight wickets in Karachi but was beaten by 129 runs in the second match and then by 234 runs – its worst ever one-day defeat – in the series finale in Lahore Saturday.

Critics have blamed Malik for his failure to gel the players together.

Meanwhile, the Senate’s committee on sports has summoned the skipper along with Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam and chief selector Abdul Qadir in Islamabad Feb 9.

Senator Enver Baig, a member of the Senate committee, told IANS Monday that the committee wants to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into what he termed as a shameful defeat against
Sri Lanka.

The PCB chairman, however, said the board will not take any hasty decision. “Captains are not appointed on an ad-hoc basis,” said Butt, a former Pakistan Test cricketer. “We are all heartbroken over the crushing defeat but will take our steps cautiously.”

Butt said he summoned the team management Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss the pathetic results in the last two one-dayers against Sri Lanka. The PCB chief said that the team management is expected to file its comprehensive report on the series within the next couple of days.

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