ECB chairman to meet Pakistan president over political interference

Giles Clarke, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, is prepared to visit Pakistan to make a personal plea to the country's president Asif Ali Zardari to reduce political involvement in the game. Clarke chaired an ICC Pakistan task team that recommended freedom from political interference as a vital step towards the successful management of the game in Pakistan, and he is prepared to present his case directly to Zardari after meeting fierce resistance to the proposals. The ICC has since adopted the need for political independence worldwide, giving countries such as Pakistan two years to adjust their constitution – a decision that Pakistan did not object to at the annual meeting in Hong Kong last month. But the Pakistan Cricket Board has thrown the proposed changes into doubt, arguing that "the circumstances in Pakistan are unique" and that the system "cannot certainly be labelled as faulty". In an official response, the PCB said: "The circumstances in Pakistan are unique and cricket administration requires and deserves government support, without which international cricket may not be able to return to Pakistan. Keeping in view the extraordinary security situation in the country, having the president as patron of the PCB adds tremendous value and comfort. It should be appreciated that a system that has propelled Pakistan to the top of the cricket world has been in place for approximately 60 years and cannot certainly be labelled as faulty." Clarke wants to go to Pakistan to ensure the task team's reasons are clearly outlined, and to counter criticism from Pakistan that the task team did not spend enough time in the country before making recommendations intended to improve Pakistan cricket's efficiency and integrity. The PCB also rejects the task team's recommendation that captains should be selected by a selection committee, and that the system where a captain is appointed by the PCB chairman, currently Ijaz Butt, and approved by the governing board, should be abolished. "We respectfully disagree with this recommendation," the PCB said. "In Pakistan the system of selecting a captain is different. No reason has been given by the Pakistan task team in support of its recommendation that a selection committee is the best judge of who the captain of Pakistan should be. "If this recommendation is based on what other countries follow, it may not work for Pakistan. Again the authority to nominate the captain has been delegated by the governing board to the chairman." Butt, naturally, has indicated his approval.