Date:01/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/01/stories/2008090153781700.htm

Sport - Cricket

Naghmi rubbishes reports

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi on Sunday rubbished reports that he had taken a unilateral decision to fix up a tri-series in South Africa without taking the International Cricket Committee into confidence.

Former cricketers and officials had questioned Naghmi’s authority to hold negotiations with Cricket South Africa after the resignation of Nasim Ashraf as Board Chairman but the PCB COO hit back by terming the accusations as baseless.

“These reports are completely untrue. The whole thing is in the knowledge of the Chairman of International Cricket Committee (of the PCB) Ali Raza,” he claimed.

“And before we started negotiations, the former Chairman Nasim Ashraf was also in office, he had not relinquished his post at that time. So absolutely no truth in this story.” Naghmi said the fixtures of the South Africa tri-series should be given final shape in the next few days but only after the ICC of the Board reviews the tentative dates and programme and approves them. — PTI