Ashraful refutes Bengali paper's report (4 August 1999)

4 August 1999

Ashraful refutes Bengali paper's report

Our Sports Reporter

Bangladesh Cricket Board general secretary Syed Ashraful Huq said that the board was never trying to rope in former Indian team doctor Ali Irani as its next physio for the national team.

Ashraful, who returned home on Monday after a 15-day holiday in England, was talking to a small group of journalists yesterday evening about a report published in a Bengali daily which claimed that the BCB was close to appointing Dr. Ali Irani.

"He is a doctor and not a physio. He doesn't come into consideration as a physio. I don't know anything about this and I have not discussed anything about Irani with anybody. I don't know how one Bengali daily has published the news," said an astonished Ashraful.

"As far as I'm concerned, Irani has no qualification to become our physio," added Ashraful.

When asked who would be the next physio of the team, Ashraful said that nothing has been discussed yet.

About the proposed tour of the West Indies cricket team, Ashraful expressed his full optimism and said that more negotiations will take place before finalizing the tour.

He also revealed that that a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council, scheduled to be held in Colombo on August 30, will finalize everything regarding the 8th Asia Cup which is due to be held in Dhaka early next year.

Both BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Ashraful will attend the meeting.

Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)