PCB chief on mission during ICC celebrations

Ijaz Butt to discuss Task Team’s visit, series against India.

KARACHI:

As the International Cricket Council (ICC) celebrates the 2,000th Test match at Lord’s today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt will strive to break the ice with the game’s governing body following Pakistan’s reply to its Task Team recommendations last week.

The PCB chief, who is also a member of ICC Executive Committee, has been invited in London to mark the week-long celebrations to be held during the historical match between England and India. According to officials, the PCB chief, along with discussions on ICC Task Team’s likely visit to Pakistan for constitutional amendment, will also attempt to improve ties with the body’s top brass that were affected after the PCB’s rejection on several recommendations made.

The PCB questioned most of the 63 recommendations handed out in the Task Team report and called it a ‘scholarly exercise’ but softened its stance later saying the board has not rejected the report completely.

“A gap has been created between the ICC and the PCB after the board’s reply,” a PCB official admitted while speaking to The Express Tribune. “Misunderstanding and miscommunication may be the reasons and the PCB chief will try to clarify it all.”

Task Team visit to be finalised

The official added the Task Team’s visit to Pakistan was also likely to be finalised during the week.

“There will be a discussion on how the PCB can help arrange the team’s meeting with the President as well as the schedule and how many members of the team will be visiting.”

Pak-India series to be discussed

The official said that besides discussion on those matters, the PCB chairman is also likely to discuss next year’s Future Tours Programme’s (FTP) scheduled series between Pakistan and India with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).





Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2011.