PCB chief meets Nawaz

Lahore: After former Test pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz urged President Asif Zardari to remove the new Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf as he is facing a corruption case in the Supreme Court, the PCB chairman held a meeting with the former player, according to media reports.

Ashraf`s name figured in a corruption case in the Supreme Court during his tenure as the Chairman of the Zarai Taraqyati Bank. The hearing of the case is scheduled in December. "During the meeting Ashraf gave a patient hearing to Nawaz. The cricketer urged him to take number of steps to improve the Pakistan cricket domestic set-up," a source in the board said. The source also said that Nawaz had suggested Ashraf to change the balls that are used in domestic cricket. "Sarfaraz pointed out that expensive balls were being used in domestic cricket, which didn`t help the players and the board should have locally manufactured balls for domestic cricket," the source said. "Sarfaraz also conveyed his viewpoint on other things, including the coaching issue," he added. Nawaz, known for his habit of criticising people in the board, had earlier lambasted former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt for his policies. Ashraf, since taking charge in late October, has adopted a policy of meeting the former players and seeking their inputs on how to improve Pakistan cricket structure. In this regard he has already met with Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim, Basit Ali and held discussions with former captains Waqar Younis and Rameez Raja in Dubai when he went there to watch the One-day series against Sri Lanka. So far the new chairman has not taken any major decision and cricket analysts say that Ashraf is first getting a good idea of how the Pakistan cricket system works, including board affairs. Ashraf has come in for some criticism after he gave several statements on wanting to revive international cricket in Pakistan and for stating that he could give no time frame as in when the foreign teams would visit Pakistan again, after returning from Dubai. PTI