Waqar to be fined for bringing country's name into disrepute

Karachi, July 13: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Lt Gen Tauqir Zia slammed the activity of Waqar Younis on the ball and hinted that more disciplinary action will be taken against him.

"At a time when there is already suspicion on Pakistan cricketers over match-fixing and ball tampering, Waqar Younis' action was highly irresponsible and added fuel to the fire.

"The PCB will definitely seek an explanation from him and there is a possibility that he might have to face some disciplinary action," the general said.

Waqar was banned for one match after New Zealand's match referee John Reid found him guilty of tampering with the ball in the tri-nation series match against South Africa.

Waqar didn't return with the Pakistan cricket team on Thursday and instead proceeded to Australia.

"It is the interpretation of the match referee as to what exactly he was doing. But as far as we are concerned, the decision is harsh and bypasses all the laws of the game."

The general argued that ball tampering can't be done to a new ball which incidentally had been changed in the same over. He added that even if the match referee felt that the ball has been doctored, the law says that it has been to replaced within three deliveries. Thirdly, he continued, if Waqar was interfering with the ball, a stiffer punishment should have been imposed.

"Waqar's performance in the tournament shows that he has taken more wickets with the new ball. In addition to this, if the umpires don't agree to ball tampering, how can he be found guilty.

"I mean, all these procedures were not followed which forced us to believe that the decision was biased."

But the general continued with his anger saying that Waqar was such a senior player that he should have avoided actions which could lead to speculation.

"There were cameras all over the place which were focusing him after the Kandy Test.

"He has already been punished for an offence. But we may now penalize him for bringing the team and the country into disrepute. I didn't discuss the matter with him in Colombo but now we are back and this matter will be tackled here.

"I will ask him exactly what he was doing. Some may say he was tampering, others may claim he was removing the dirt. In any case, his action is in a bad taste and could have been avoided."

Skipper Moin Khan claimed that Waqar was a victim of circumstances and stressed that John Reid had not issued a warning before reprimanding him for not handling his players properly.

"The match referee neither indicated to me about Waqar nor he told me to control the players. But all of a sudden, he imposed fine and suspension on Waqar and reprimanded me. It's surprising to me," he said.

Zia dismissed claims that the ICC was a toothless body after showing inconsistencies in its recent decisions.

"It is a strong body but the problem is that there is different interpretation of the laws. In the case of Shoaib Akhtar, some of the 10-man panel thought he was chucking while the others observed he was not.

"But I do believe that its (ICC's) procedures are not correct. Shoaib is immediately banned by ICC but Brett Lee is not for the same offence. The report against Shoaib is released immediately but when it comes to Lee, the ICC keeps the report for four months before releasing it."

The PCB chairman defended the Under-15 team's defeat in the Asia Cup final hinting it was the only side which was under-age. "As under-15 players, they played very well. You will see for yourself in England who are the under-aged and over-aged teams."

He agreed that Pakistan team has been playing too much cricket but added that the present setup was honouring commitments made by the previous management.

"The ICC has sent us a 10-year schedule. But we have kept it on a hold because we want to consult it with the Asia Cricket Council (ACC). The ACC members want to play more amongst each others which will generate more interest and of course, money."

In the backdrop of recent umpiring decisions with went against Pakistan, General Tauqir said he had recommended the ICC to appoint both third country umpires. "It couldn't materialize because the ICC thought it was pretty expensive.

"I then suggested that technology should take over in the sense that the umpires be allowed to consult their colleagues sitting on TV in bat and pad decision. The ICC has forwarded this suggestion to its technical committee on rules. The decision will be known in ICC director's meeting in Kenya."