Samiul Hasan: When Aussie and PCB ties were on breaking point (9 Apr 1997)

April 9 1997

When Aussie and PCB ties were on breaking point

Samiul Hasan

KARACHI, April 9: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Australian Cricket Board (ACB) relations in October 1995 almost reached its lowest ebb after Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim categorically dismissed the three Australians allegations against Salim Malik.

Graham Halbish, ACB's Chief Executive, had threatened that if the relationship between the two boards is to be retained, the top officials of the PCB are required to visit Australia with the Pakistan cricket team and sit face to face with them to sort out the problems.

"If the rapport between ACB and PCB and our two countries, developed and promoted strongly by the 1994 visit to Pakistan by Colin Eger and myself, is to be retained, we must sit down and talk with each other, face to face and in a constructive manner. You will be made welcome in the hope that out of this awful episode, something positive for cricket can be achieved by ACB and PCB being seen to come together in an open and direct, but cordial fashion," Halbish had written to the former cricket chief, Abbasi.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) also said they felt extremely offended by some remarks that were made by the then PCB Chief Executive, Arif Abbasi, after Justice Ebrahim's report was made public.

Abbasi was quoted by his counterpart, Graham Halbish, as saying: "I was expecting a strong reaction in Australia after the report of the Committee was made public because nobody likes to be told the truth and especially crooked people."

Halbish had asked Abbasi what he intended by that comment. Halbish further had asked his counterpart to come to Australia with his Chairman (Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari) and tell his Chairman (Dennis Rogers) and himself that he (Abbasi) didn't say those things or indeed were badly misquoted. "I should advise you that we have decided to issue legal proceedings against certain media outlets regarding their publication of the comments attributed to you," Halbish wrote.

What is more interesting is that Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari and Arif Abbasi didn't go to Australia; didn't hold any meeting; didn't clarify their positions. It seems that Arif Abbasi's removal in May followed by the sacking of Graham Halbish, in the end, helped the two boards keep a cordial relationship.

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