LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board Wednesday announced that the round-table conference aimed at improving the sport in the country, and scheduled for March 6 and 7, has been cancelled in light of the current situation including corruption scandal in the ongoing Pakistan Super League as well as the security issues..

On February 1, PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan had called a conference involving former cricketers to resolve issues relating to the development of cricket in the country.

The conference was expected to be held at the PCB headquarters in Lahore on March 6 and 7 and the issues to be discussed include improving the teams’ performance, domestic structure, improvement of pitches, coaching of national and junior teams and encouragement to foreign teams to tour Pakistan.

However, the PCB, in a media release, said that the conference has been cancelled and that the chairman will talk to former cricketers in working group sessions in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad instead. PCB chief also confirmed the development during his talk outside the Gaddaffi Stadium saying that the board wanted to address the corruption scandal at priority basis first.

“Owing to the recent developments in Pakistan cricket, it has been decided to cancel the round-table conference of cricketers planned by the PCB in Lahore aimed at the improvement of cricket in the country,” read a PCB statement. “Instead, the chairman will conduct working group sessions with former cricketers in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to seek their views on the cricket structure in the country.”

The conference was called in the wake of Pakistan’s recent slump. Pakistan suffered a three-match Test series whitewash against Australia before going down 1-4 in the five-match ODI series. Before that they suffered a 0-2 series Test defeat against New Zealand as well.

The meeting was to be chaired by Shaharyar while national selection committee head Inzamamul Haq and Director Academies Mudassar Nazar will co-chair it. The responsibility of co-ordinator was given to National Cricket Academy head coach Mushtaq Ahmed.

The invitations had been extended to Imran Khan, Misbahul Haq, Younus Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas, Shoaib Akhtar, Aamir Sohail, Javed Miandad, Rashid Latif, Ramiz Raja, Moin Khan, Abdul Qadir, Aaqib Javed, Iqbal Qasim, Bazid Khan, and Saeed Ajmal and several others. Chairmen of committees and Board of Governors have also been invited.

PCB director Media Amjad Hussain said the conference has been cancelled and the idea to get feedback from the former cricketers has been reshaped to make it more meaningful. He said the PCB wanted some conclusive advice and wanted to benefit from the expertise of the former greats of the game but such a conference may be proved counterproductive. Amjad added that now the PCB chief would hold the meetings with different groups of players to take suggestions and after deducting a productive plan in light of these suggestions it would be implemented in letter and spirit.

However, sources in the board said the PCB wanted to avoid confrontation with the former players and was expecting huge criticism from them for the ongoing corruption scandal, which may put the real issues behind the scene. Further, the PCB wanted to hole the conference just after hosting the PSL final in Lahore, which is an unlikely probability now. Sources said the hosting of final may have helped te board to host former players in a feel good atmosphere, which is now impossible.

And they were not wrong to fear the lash of the former players as some of them had already scolded the idea. Imran ridiculed the concept by hitting out at Najam Sethi, who is chairman of the executive board, Miandad said when the board had appointed all foreigners with the national team, why did it need to now consult local players. "The foreigners are responsible for the current state of Pakistan cricket and have damaged it. What is the purpose of now wanting to listen to local players?" Miandad said.

Rashid Latif said the conference was nothing but a futile exercise to fool the people. Another former captain, Aamir Sohail, also raised questions over the holding of the conference.