LAHORE - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M Khan has highly praised retiring Test batsmen Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan and confirmed to give them one of the best send-offs to acknowledge their services for Pakistan cricket.
Talking to Waqt TV programme “Game Beat”, Shaharyar said: “Misbah wanted to retire after New Zealand and Australia series, but I wanted him to stay and end his career on a winning note, so I convinced him to continue till West Indies series and retire after winning this series.
“I never put pressure on Misbah and Younus to retire and it was their own decision to end their career after West Indies series. Both the cricket greats have great services for Pakistan cricket, and they will be honoured in a trend-setting manner. In Misbah’s era, the Test team won the number one status and the mace came here which was another huge achievement under the dynamic leadership of a great Test skipper. Younus also played his role positively and also helped the many times to score crucial wins through his brilliant batting. So both these cricket great will be remembered by all,” he added.
The PCB chief has said he has already forwarded his resignation to Prime Minister Mian M Nawaz Sharif and it is now up to him whether he accepts it before completion of my tenure or after completing it. “Now I will not stay as finally, I am going. It doesn’t matter whether I go in August or earlier. My love for the game will go on but I will never accept any administrative role after that. I resigned well before the time because I want the board to elect a new chairman. The PCB’s current constitution is democratic and approved by International Cricket Council (ICC), so I want the board to elect its new chairman constitutionally and according to laws of the ICC.”
Shaharyar has also said that PCB executive committee chairman Najam Aziz Sethi takes over as new chairman, I will be very glad, as now he understands the game well and can run the board in a befitting manner. “Whoever takes over the PCB, he has to get elected for it, as gone were the days, when the PCB chairman used to be nominated, but after the news board constitution, the new chairman will surely be elected according to the board and ICC’s laws.
Lauding the services of Mudassar Nazar, the PCB chairman said: “Mudassar is one of the successful administrators, who was also lauded by the ICC for his outstanding services for the international cricket and now he has also taken great initiatives for Pakistan cricket. He has started two new academies in Karachi and Multan which are benefiting the game in these regions. Under his dynamic leadership, our biomechanics lab will be functional in June or July this year and will also get ICC’s accreditation.”
He said chief selector Inazam-ul-Haq had been doing his work honestly and his presence has been benefiting Pakistan cricket. “In past, the chief selectors never bothered to visit the ground and witness the players playing in the grounds, but Inzamam changed the entire scenario, as he himself visits the venues, sees the players in action and due to this hard work, young and promising players are being picked up by the selectors, who are making their presence felt at higher level.”