PCB tells Inzamam to mind his business

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday hit back at former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq for what it termed were damaging remarks made by him against the current captain Shoaib Malik and the board chairman Nasim Ashraf.

A PCB spokesman said that Inzamam is trying to portray a negative picture of Pakistan cricket and went on to say that the retired batsman is completely off the mark.

'Shoaib Malik enjoys the confidence and support of the selectors and he has satisfactory leadership qualities to motivate the team for producing good results,' said the spokesman.

In a recent TV interview Inzamam labeled Malik as a weak captain and also fired a salvo at the PCB chief, saying that his policies were hampering Pakistan cricket.

Inzamam also suggested that Pakistan would have been better off if they had either Younis Khan or Mohammad Yousuf as the captain.

But the PCB termed his comments as baseless. The Board has claimed that Inzamam has twisted hard facts while posing himself as a role model.

The PCB spokesman also questioned Inzamam's credibility. 'Inzamam himself does not enjoy a good reputation as a captain as he made certain questionable decisions to taint the image of the country besides exhibiting his 'stubborn 'attitude on certain occasions even at the time of selection, ignoring talented Misbah-ul-Haq who was a potential threat to his middle order position,' said the spokesman.

'The biggest mistake made by Inzamam as a captain was the forfeiting of the Oval Test in August 2006 which caused a lot of confusion and problems for Pakistan cricket at highest level of the game. Then he (Inzamam) imposed his will on selectors by including injured pacer Shabbir Ahmad on the tour of South Africa in 2006 and even threatened to come back from the same tour'.

The spokesman pointed out that after two years, it was because of the efforts of the PCB chief that the ICC reversed its earlier decision on Oval Test and announced it as a draw.

The Board also defended Ashraf, who is currently vacationing in the United States. 'The post of the Chairman PCB is a top managerial position and the present chairman is fully justifying as the head of the Board and his contribution for the cause of cricket and to better the image of the country are widely acknowledged.'

When Ashraf took over as PCB chief in the fall of 2006, Inzamam was the Pakistan captain. The two never got along well and when Pakistan crashed out of the 2007 World Cup, the Board replaced Inzamam with Malik.

Ashraf broke the ice last October when he gave Inzamam a 'farewell' Test appearance against South Africa in Lahore. It is the first time the Multan-based Inzamam has openly criticised the Board since then.