PCB to blame if Champions Trophy is shifted: Miandad

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Agencies

Posted online: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 05:21:50

Karachi, July 23: Pakistan Cricket Board has failed to make its presence felt at the International Cricket Council and PCB would have only itself to blame if the Champions Trophy is shifted out of the country, said former captain Javed Miandad.

"The Pakistan board has never been strong enough at any level to make their presence felt at the international level. And they never did their homework for the Champions Trophy properly," Miandad said on Wednesday.

"They knew very well they were going to host the event and they should have started lobbying and garnering support much earlier to convince teams to tour Pakistan. They could even have hired a lobbyist or media firm to force home the fact that Pakistan is a safe country for cricket," Miandad said.

The former Pakistan coach also insisted that there was no strong personality in the PCB in a position to get things done at the ICC level.

"Our board has always been fickle. It is not even sure about is own existence. In Pakistan, boards are changed for small reasons. So it is obvious that their presence cannot be felt at the ICC level," he added.

The veteran of 124 Tests said if Pakistan lost the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy it would be a sad day. "Look, I am more worried that if we don't host the Champions Trophy then what affect it is going to have on future series in Pakistan," Miandad said.

The former Test batsman said the world and the ICC worked under a system which is missing in the PCB. "The thing is that we don't have any system of work or implementing our policies. The ICC and its member boards work differently. Even if some of their players refuse to tour Pakistan for security concerns they will not be punished for it."

Miandad said he could also understand why some of the countries had apprehensions about playing in Pakistan at the moment.

"They look at things in a different perspective from outside Pakistan. But I still feel if our board tries hard enough we can still have the event in Pakistan," he said.

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