PCB chief Ashraf denies having role in Razzaq’s exclusion

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that the decision to exclude Abdul Razzaq from the World T20 semi-final squad was not his, rather the decision was made by the team management.

Razzaq created controversy by blaming the captain for his exclusion from the World Twenty20 semi-final against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan lost by 16 runs. “I am not involved in the team selection,” Ashraf said. Speaking to reporters at the Lahore airport, he also defended the performance of the team in the recently held T20 world cup. Ashraf said the green shirts performed better than most teams, The News reports. The PCB chairman was also critical of the pitch for the semi-final match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a show cause notice to Razzaq for his comments against captain Mohammad Hafeez. Razzaq had described the decision as “illogical and taken only by Hafeez”. “If he has dropped me, he should say that it was his (Hafeez’s) decision to drop me, and that he is the captain and it````s his planning,” Razzaq had said. Razzaq was dropped from the team after a 17-ball 22 against Australia to make way for Sohail Tanvir in the playing-XI. ANI