KARACHI - Former Pakistan Captain and ex-Director General Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Javed Miandad has questioned the long term decisions taken by PCB Chairman Najam Sethi regarding appointment of team officials. "His appointment is for a short tenure. So Sethi cannot take decisions like two-year appointment of various officials of national team," he told APP here on Monday.
"These decisions are unilateral and against the constitution as he was given the mandate of holding elections and democratizing PCB and associations," he commented. Miandad said Sethi was given four-month to streamline the PCB system."I don't think, Sethi got the authority for long-term appointments," he added.
Miandad said Sethi had himself admitted that he will be leaving after four months after holding elections. Miandad tendered his resignation as DG PCB a couple of weeks after Sethi was appointed PCB chief. "I am not saying these things because I have any personal vendetta against anyone. But in the larger interest of cricket. He (Sethi) should have adopted wait and see policy instead of going for the appointment of Pakistan team officials," he added.
Sethi has appointed former Test captain Moin Khan as Manager-cum-chief selector in addition to he is also the member of the committee in appointment of Pakistan team's chief coach. Another ex-Pakistan captain and fast bowling ace Waqar Younis is at the verge of appointment as the chief coach for two year term.
"These all wrong decisions could cause great harm to Pakistan cricket as these decisions could be challenged in the court of law," he remarked. He expressed the hope that Supreme of Pakistan will look into these affairs of PCB. He was also critical of giving dual role to Moin as manager and chief selector "Such dual appointments could be damaging for Pakistan cricket," he said.
He praised the role of Naveed Akram Cheema during his three years as the manager of Pakistan team. "Cheema's term as manager was controversy-free because he was good administrator and disciplinarian," he recalled. Miandad said only good bureaucrats, judges and seasoned administrator could prove good as the manager of Pakistan team.
He said in the past PCB follow those traditional practices of appointing the manager with good reputation and background. Miandad said a lot of problems were seen during Intikhab Alam's appointment as manager in the past few years. He said Pakistan cricket had greatly suffered after terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March 2009 but more harm is being done with inconsistent decisions by current regime of PCB.
Miandad, who served Pakistan cricket for nearly two decades, said too many appointments in Pakistan team could be harmful instead of bringing improvement. "You cannot coach the players, who had played for Pakistan for so many years," he said. "Too many cooks in Pakistan team as coach may spoil the broth," he observed. "If somebody have problems with technique, he should to be sent to NCA," Miandad said. Miandad believes it is time for the selectors to make up their minds about which player will be featuring in the 2015 World Cup saying if you keep picking then dropping and then bringing back players that is not going to work.
A pool of 36 probables has been announced to participate in the month-long summer camp at the Gaddafi Stadium starting from May 6. The focus of the camp is on preparing for the upcoming tours and for the 2015 World Cup. Taufiq Umar, M Sami and Yasir Hameed have been recalled for the camp while Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik have been omitted from the list. The camp will be supervised by the coaching staff of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), headed by M Akram, as the PCB is currently hunting for national coaches.
Miandad said he also don't understand why the PCB recalled the long-time discarded players in the camp.
"It is time to have a permanent squad now," he said.
Miandad said a month-long tournament should have been held instead of a camp. "Summer camps were never organised at times when we used to play," he said adding no players performance can be judged in a camp. Miandad said he is also surprised that the PCB had not yet even hired the coaches for the national team and have announced a summer camp. "The PCB should have hired them first and then held the camp if they were so eager to do so," he added.