Get Well Soon, PCB chief tells extremist Bal Thackeray

By Faisal Adnan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 15, 2012: Despite of a hardline approach by the extremist Hindu leader Bal Thackeray, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf sent him a “Get Well Soon” message on Thursday.

As per the local media reports, the extremist Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray has demanded the Indian government to do away with Pakistan’s tour to India next month

However, PCB chief sent positive vibes through his Get Well Soon message for the hardliner politician who is in struggling in a critical condition in a Mumbai hospital.

Zaka Ashraf told reporters, “I have sent a message of get well soon to Mr. Bal Thackeray. Our religion and our Prophet Mohammad (SAWW) taught us that we should wish everyone good health and life and following that I have wished him well and sent him a bouquet.”

Bal Thackeray and other extremist Hindu activists have been demanding vociferously to cancel the limited overs series between Pakistan and India urging the New Delhi-incumbent Congress-led government to keep away from reviving cricketing ties until Pakistan brings perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai Attacks to justice.

The New Delhi had severed all sporting ties with Pakistan following the deadly attacks which left 166 people killed.

Zaka Ashraf urged Bal Thackeray to play his role in defusing tension between the nuclear-armed bitter neighbors. He said, “I hope that Mr. Thackeray gets well soon and plays his part in bringing the two nations together by supporting both the teams during this series”.

Pakistan is due to play two Twenty20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals during the course of their two weeks long tour to India after a gap of five years.

Pakistan cricket team, which will land in Indian capital on December 22, will take on the home side in first Twenty20 International in Bangalore (Bengaluru) on December 25 followed by the second T20I in Ahmedabad on December 27. The Twenty20 series will be followed by One Day International series which will have both teams featuring three ODIs in Chennai, Kolkata, and New Delhi on December 30, January 3, and January 6, respectively.

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Zaka Ashraf may replace Nadeem Sarwar with ‘Professional’ media manager

By Tasawwar Abbas

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 13, 2012: Back-to-back controversies has turned Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Zaka Ashraf unhappy with his media manager and he has decided to replace Nadeem Sarwar with a professional, TheSportsNEXT.com has learnt.

A close source to the PCB chairman told this scribe on the condition of anonymity that Zaka Ashraf understands his media managed is incapable of handling tough situations with the media therefore the cricket board and cricketers keep finding them in the hot frying pan of controversies consistently.

Sources said, “Zaka Ashraf is unhappy with Nadeem Sarwar’s performance as PCB media manager and has received plenty of complaints for his rude behavior with the media persons”.

They added, “Some media persons contacted the PCB chief and told him about Nadeem Sarwar’s list of favorite sports journalists besides complaining of misbehave with the ones who are not in his good books”.

Zaka Ashraf’s advisors have also suggested the PCB chairman to relieve Nadeem Sarwar as PCB media manager for his inability to handle issues in a subtle manner and thus earning the cricket board a bad name in the local media.

Sources claimed, “Some PCB officials have also submitted their complaints with the chairman regarding rude behavior of Nadeem Sarwar and advised him to hire a professional manager for the all-important job”.

It is important to mention here that like most of the appointments at the Pakistan Cricket Board, Nadeem Sarwar was also brought into the PCB fold due to his political influence as he used to serve Bilawal House Islamabad. Nadeem Sarwar has been reportedly misbehaving with the sports journalists and recently had a verbal quarrel with Islamabad’s sports journalists followed by an altercation with the Karachi sports journalists.

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PCB chairman not happy with inconsistent Abdul Razzaq

By Nadira Mushtaque

Zaka Ashraf puts blame of Bangladesh's hesitance to tour Pakistan on Punjab government.

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) October 15, 2012: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf said Monday that the cricket board has supported veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq consistently but he failed to come up with the goods on regular basis.

Talking exclusively with TheSportsNEXT.com, Zaka Ashraf said, “Selectors didn't want to select Abdul Razzaq for the ICC World Twenty20 2012 but I intervened to get him selected in the team but performance was not that remarkable to earn him an automatic place in the playing eleven”.

Talking about absence of senior cricketers in the domestic cricket tournaments, the PCB chief said the board has made it clear to all the players in the national circuit that they must play domestic cricket if they want to get considered for national selection. “None of the players would be allowed to play county cricket if they try to prefer it over domestic cricket”, he made it clear.

International cricket is returning to Pakistan’s biggest metropolis Karachi next week and the PCB chief was not only happy about it but he mentioned the board officials were keeping a very close look at the PakistanXIvWorldXI matches at National Stadium on October 20-21, 2012.

He stated that the International Cricket Council has been supporting the PCB on a number of issues especially in resumption of international cricket. He alleged that lack of security arrangements by the Punjab government never helped the PCB to make foreign teams tour Pakistan. He added that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was almost certain to send its team to Pakistan but Punjab government’s refusal to provide sufficient level of security made the BCB to stop its team from touring the war-torn country.

Talking about gutsy players like Ahmed Shehzad and Zulqarnain Haider, Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf said that both the players are good international cricketers and the PCB supported both of them for a long time but both have psychological problems which is not helping their international careers.

“Zulqarnain Haider threatened selectors after they dropped him for the Australia series and Ahmed Shehzad showed indiscipline in a number of domestic matches against umpires. Services of sports psychologist Maqbool Babri will be taken for both the players”, he said.

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Zaka Ashraf meets former Test captain Majid Khan

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) September 28, 2012: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf held a meeting with former legendary player and Pakistan Test Captain Majid Khan at his residence on Friday.

 

During their meeting ways and means to further improve the domestic cricket structure in Pakistan came under discussion.

The PCB Chairman briefed Majid Khan on the measures being taken to revamp the Domestic Cricket set-up and sought his suggestions to further rev it up.

Majid Khan also shared his views on return of international cricket to Pakistan which is on the top priority of the PCB chief’s list.

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