PCB reject Mushtaq's conditions (16 May 1997)

16 May 1997

PCB reject Mushtaq's conditions

Sports Reporter

KARACHI, May 15: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to release Mushtaq Mohammad if the former captain demands a better contract for the next season, well informed sources said. The decision was made in the Council meeting which was held in April, sources added.

In the wake of Mushtaq Mohammed's public statement of under payment and intentions to quit the job, the Council unanimously decided on Wednesday that if Mushtaq wants to carry on with the job, it has to be on the present contract. "Mushtaq, after his statement, will not be awarded an improved contract. If he wants to continue, he is welcome otherwise we have several other options available," sources said. The sources said Nasimul Ghani, if Mushtaq resigns, will take over the job but he too will be awarded a similar contract. "The PCB Council unanimously decided that the contract offered to Mushtaq Mohammad was a lucrative one and there was almost no room for an enhancement." The Council member said if Mushtaq Mohammad has any complaints now, why he didn't object at the time he was offered the job. "He shouldn't have accepted the offer in the first place," he said.

Mushtaq Mohammad breached a PCB Code of Conduct when he spoke on the issue on a foreign soil. Mushtaq, who took over the charge in September, never raised his voice when he was in Pakistan or when he met PCB Chief Executive, Majid Khan.

Mushtaq Mohammad, it may be recalled, was removed as coach in 1995-96 when Pakistan lost the home series to Sri Lanka and then failed to qualify for the final at Sharjah. But with the appointment of Majid Khan, who was also removed along with Mushtaq, new channels opened for Mushtaq which the former captain now thinks unacceptable.

Nasimul Ghani, who also broke the PCB Code of Conduct by saying he may accept the coach's offer but on a better contract, managed the team on the 1996 tour of England where Pakistan triumph 2-0. Nasimul Ghani, who was removed by Majid Khan in mid-tour, was offered a selector's job in September which he declined. Ghani, who was also removed from the panel of ICC Match Referees, returned to cricket scene when he was appointed tour manager for the Sri Lankan trip and then for the ongoing Indian tour.

Source:: Dawn (https://xiber.com/dawn/)