Plans for series against Sri Lanka mooted

Lahore, Jan 19: Intikhab Alam has been retained as coach and Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Nasir as manager of the Pakistan cricket team for the home series against Sri Lanka next month. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ad hoc committee advisory council met at the Qadhafi Stadium, with Lt.-Gen. Tauqir Zia in the chair, and took some other important decisions which were announced by a spokesman late on Wednesday night. The meeting discussed all aspects of the tour of the team from the Pearl Island. Master plans for renovation of the National Stadium in Karachi and the Qadhafi Stadium in Lahore were chalked out and committees were formed to implement those so that the international matches against the Sri Lanka team could be organised. A representative of the PCB ad hoc committee will visit Peshawar so that a similar plan to prepare up the stadium there could be prepared.

A new structure of the PCB headquarter has been approved and Yawar Saeed has been appointed to look after the cricketing matters and administrative affairs of the PCB. Jamil Mir has been appointed as a consultant for media and Zahid Bashir for marketing. A decision was taken to shift the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) office from Islamabad to the Qadhafi Stadium. Two more companies, who made presentations, have been asked to give a comprehensive proposal to install floodlights at the National Stadium in Karachi.

The offer of the ECB for the Pakistan cricket team to play three limited-over matches in England while returning from Canada was approved.

In the meeting of the representatives of the associations with Gen Tauqir Zia, it was decided that their constitution will be brought in line with the PCB constitution after which elections will be held. Their internal problems are to be resolved as quickly as possible. It was desired to re-introduce cricket in schools.A representative of the PCB will visit Afghanistan to check and report about the infra-structure and cricketing activities in Afghanistan. The house was informed that the Afghan Cricket Association wanted Pakistan to propose its associate membership of the ICC.

The house decided the number of 60 umpires and 38 referees running the domestic cricket be reduced and new inclusions may be made to improve the standard of supervision of matches.