Shaharyar denies being ‘soft’ on unruly behaviour

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan on Saturday reiterated his zero tolerance policy on indiscipline and dismissed the impression that the board has a soft corner for some players involved in breach of code of conduct.

The PCB has come under fire in recent days for its handling of some cases of indiscipline during the Pakistan Cup one-day tournament, which is being held in Faisalabad.

Most notably the incident involving former captain Younis Khan, who returned home midway through the tournament after being unhappy with umpiring decisions and was summoned for a disciplinary hearing by the match referee. He was than fined half of his match fees.

“Younis is a very senior player and he realised his mistake and apologised to the board. When a senior player like Younis apologises in response to a show cause notice, you have to handle the case accordingly,” Shaharyar said.

“If someone like Younis can admit his mistake, it sets an example for other players as well,” he added.

The PCB accepted Younis’s apology and allowed him a return to action in the Pakistan Cup. He was leading Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before he left them stranded in a huff.

The board also faced criticism for ignoring continued acts of indiscipline by batsman Umar Akmal, who was again caught in an unwanted controversy during the tournament when he visited a theatre to watch a dance drama and allegedly got into a brawl with some people over there.

But an internal inquiry by the PCB’s anti-corruption, security and vigilance department later found ‘no evidence’ of Umar’s involvement in any brawl.

Shaharyar said that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has agreed to play a day and night Test in Pakistan’s ‘home’ series, to be played in UAE in September-October.