Ashraf declines BCCI invitation for IPL final

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf, who was invited by the BCCI to watch the final of the Indian Premier League, on Saturday declined to attend the event citing his busy schedule at home.

"Zaka Ashraf is tied up in some commitments in Pakistan at the moment so he wouldn`t be going to attend the final for which he was invited by the BCCI," the spokesman said. Sources in the board said Ashraf had been advised to not visit India because of the spot-fixing scandal that had hit the mega-event last week. "It was thought it would be better now for him to remain away from the IPL spotlight as other boards have also indicated their representatives will not be in Kolkata for the final," one source said. Initially Ashraf had planned to use the Kolkata-visit to meet with BCCI officials and discuss the possibilities of having a short bilateral cricket series, even in India, later in the year. PTI