Karachi, May 1 (IANS) Irked by a lack of response from the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its complaint against Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to raise the issue at the apex body’s annual meeting in Singapore next month.
According to a source, PCB is yet to receive a reply from the ICC over its complaint against comments made by Sutherland that last year’s spot-fixing scandal might not have happened if it had implemented all the recommendations of a pivotal report into match-fixing. Angered by the comments, the PCB asked ICC to carry out an investigation.
‘The PCB is still awaiting ICC’s response over its demand,’ the source said Sunday. ‘If the board fails to receive an appropriate reply from the ICC, then it is going to raise the issue at the Singapore moot.’
In an interview last week, Sutherland said: ‘In the context of what happened last year I think it is really important to read his (Judge Qayyum’s) full report but also his recommendations. If you have a look at the recommendations, ask yourself whether Pakistan Cricket Board actually went through and implemented all of those recommendations. Well, I can’t say for sure but I would have big question marks about whether those things would have happened last year if those recommendations were fully implemented.’
He spoke about the need for all countries to remain vigilant in fighting corruption, a decade after the Qayyum report recommended punishments including a life ban for Salim Malik, along with long-term measures to ensure Pakistan never again fell into the hands of corrupt cricketers.
The PCB called Sutherland’s comments inappropriate. ‘As a member country of the ICC and holding an important position in Cricket Australia, such kind of public statement against another ICC member is highly objectionable and the PCB wants the ICC to take action against Sutherland according to the prescribed rules,’ PCB wrote to the ICC.
Qayyum himself last year said the PCB had not been strong enough in implementing some of his 30 recommendations.
