Pakistan wants Sharjah Cup in April to be rescheduled

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is to request the chairman of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) Abdul Rehman Bukhatir for rescheduling next April's Sharjah Cup so that they could host New Zealand.

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB, told Dawn that he would make the request in a meeting with the CBFS official on Dec 24.

"We want that the Sharjah tournament is rescheduled for March so that we can accommodate New Zealand the following month," Tauqir said.

April is the only time that suits New Zealand who had refused to tour Pakistan last September in the wake of terrorists strikes that rocked the United States. The Kiwis were to play three Tests and as many one-dayers.

That decision led to the PCB suffering heavy financial losses and came close on the heels of India's refusal to play a Test of the Asian Championship in Lahore.

The PCB is now hoping that things would work out to their liking. "I am quite hopeful that the CBFS would agree to our request," the general said.

He added that there were no doubts whatsoever about the upcoming home series against the West Indies who will be playing three Tests and three one-day matches during their 43-day tour beginning late January.

Meanwhile, Tauqir clarified that Mudassar Nazar had not been appointed as a long-term coach of the Pakistan team. "I would want to give him a long assignment but I have had a bad experience previously, so his appointment would be on a series to series basis."

Surprisingly, the PCB director Munawwar Rana had said Sunday that Mudassar, a former Test opener had been appointed till the South Africa World Cup in 2003.

Tauqir also clarified that in hiring former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd to coach the New Zealand-bound Pakistan Juniors, the PCB was not paying him from its own coffers.

"His short trip is fully sponsored and the Board wouldn't be paying him any money," he said without saying who the sponsors were.

Tauqir pointed out that Englishman Geoffrey Boycott's short coaching trip earlier this year was also fully sponsored. "I don't see any harm if a player of Lloyd's calibre comes down for a few days and gives some tips to our juniors," he said.

The Pakistan Junior team is currently preparing for next month's World Cup.

Tauqir said that a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council, of which he is the chairman, is likely to be held in Sharjah next month.

The meeting will discuss penalties for nations refusing to play scheduled series, the development plan and setting up of a permanent ACC secretariat, most likely in Sharjah.