PCB is wrong 90 per cent of the time: Miandad

Lamenting the lack of required power to work right from his day one in office as director general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), former captain Javed Miandad on Wednesday slammed the decisions taken by the game’s authorities, claiming 90 per cent of those were erroneous.

“While closely watching the functioning of the PCB I am disappointed and feel that 90 per cent decisions [taken by the board] are wrong, and are spoiling the sport in the country. I am not part of the PCB planning only because I require power and freedom to work, since I have given 35 years to Pakistan cricket and earned a good name,” Miandad said while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

“People around the world regard my services as a cricketer but the PCB doesn’t want to give me authority to improve [Pakistan] cricket,” the 54-year-old Miandad remarked.

“I have already brought this matter into the notice of PCB patron, President Asif Ali Zardari. Soon I will meet him again to apprise him of the poor condition of cricket in Pakistan. I will request him to either take necessary steps [to improve cricketing matters] or allow me to leave the DG post,” stated Miandad, who has been criticised for not leaving the position despite receiving the cold shoulder from the PCB right from day one.

The primary cause of friction between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Miandad from day one has been that the former is not ready to give latter the appropriate power to work, while the latter is not keen to operate without the authority he demands.

“The PCB did not even follow the instructions of President Zardari which he had given to the board last time on my suggestions,” lamented Miandad who featured in 124 Tests and 233 One-day Internationals for Pakistan.

Though Miandad avoided pinpointing wrong decisions of the PCB, sources said, he was not happy after the board didn’t take his advice on the appointment of new coach for the Pakistan team following Waqar Younis’s announcement to quit as national head coach after the ongoing Zimbabwe tour.

While former Test cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Ramiz Raja (both not employed by the PCB), are part of the coach-searching committee, Miandad has not been given any role in this regard.

Miandad, who has had three stints as national coach in the past, also didn’t feel delighted after the PCB decided to give former Test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir the responsibility to control club cricket. Miandad, sources said, held the view that holding club cricket was the prime duty of regional and district bodies.