Senators to meet PCB chief on Younus’ case

KARACHI: Irked by Ijaz Butt’s remarks on Younus Khan, the Senate Standing Committee on Sports is set to grill the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman when it meets the board officials later this month to discuss selection of the national team. Butt, while ruling out Younus’ immediate return, had said that the former captain and his lawyer Ahmed Qayyum broke the PCB code of conduct by giving inappropriate statements against the board.

Earlier the committee had also summoned the PCB officials and selectors to probe the selection of the England-bound squad, showing discontent on Younus’ exclusion despite his indefinite ban removal.

The committee Chairman Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi told The Express Tribune that the body will probe into the former captain’s saga when it meets Butt.

“Younus is an asset and we would definitely like to know why the PCB chairman is so adamant to keep him out of the national team,” said Qureshi before adding the committee will probe every aspect of the batsman’s ban including his statements and latest remarks given by the board chairman in the meeting. “These kinds of statements are damaging Pakistan cricket,” added the chairman.

Qureshi informed that the meeting - originally scheduled for July 9 - will now be held in the third week of this month.

Naved delays return to fight against ban

Itching to get his one-year ban lifted, all-rounder Rana Navedul Hasan is delaying his return to the county stint so that he can meet the PCB chairman.

The all-rounder who was handed the ban and a fine of Rs2 million was told to approach Butt in order to get clearance to play for Pakistan again. But Naved said that nobody from the board had contacted him yet.

“I was waiting for the chairman to come from the ICC meeting but its been four days since his arrival and nobody has called me up to meet him,” Naved told The Express Tribune.

Naved, who is playing for Sussex, left the county season midway to seek a clean chit from the PCB.

“There are still almost a couple of months left in the current season and I will rejoin Sussex soon after meeting the chairman.” said Naved while adding that he was confident of reversal of the ban by the PCB-appointed arbitrator and lawyer after he met them last month.

“I gave my version to them, the meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere and the judge and lawyer assured me that I will be cleared after a meeting with the chairman.”

Published in The Express Triune, July 8^th, 2010.