Akram may be replaced as skipper to build 'team for the future'

The Pakistan cricket team may have a new skipper soon 'on an experimental basis', it is reliably learnt. According to highly placed sources close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Chairman of the Board, General Tauqir Zia is likely to hold a meeting of his advisory panel early next month in Lahore to discuss 'the possibilities of replacing Wasim Akram' as skipper of the team.

The PCB's advisory panel (consisting of former Test players Rameez Raja, Javed Miandad and Nasim-ul-Ghani) is believed to have worked out a plan at its earlier two meetings to softly implement the recommendations made by Lahore High Court's Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum, with regard to his report on match-fixing and betting allegations. General Tauqir Zia was not available when contacted on Sunday morning at his Mangla residence in Pakistan. He stays in Lahore these days after having taken charge as PCB chairman from Zafar Altaf.

The only problem the advisory panel would face in justifying its decision to replace Akram is that if the team does well against Australia in best of the three finals of the Carlton and United series. In that case, the PCB has to be extra tactful for announcing their decisions as otherwise, a bad name would spoil the image of their team at the international level.

The PCB is likely to announce shortly their plans in which a team for the 2003 World Cup is also planned. The PCB is likely to drop their senior batsman Ijaz Ahmed for the home series against Lanka next month. Ijaz is reported to be on the 'hit-list' of Qayyum's report. He is likely to be one of the few Pakistani players found involved in Qayyum's 127- page report on betting and match-fixing allegations. The PCB may award him a benefit match on condition that he should retire from international cricket.