Shaharyar Khan, the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has admitted that one of his key aims is to clean up the image of Pakistan cricket. The final months of the reign of his predecessor, Lt.-Gen. Tauqir Zia, were marred by accusations of nepotism, selection irregularities, and financial mismanagement.
"Cricket nowadays has loads of money and it is essential that the affairs of the administration are transparent and clean," Shaharyar told the BBC in an exclusive interview. "Officials have been under pressure for selecting favourite players. People have been trying to influence their decisions and the cricket administration has also been suffering from grouping.
"This is not acceptable. We need a clean administration to make it efficient as well. I won't allow anyone to pressurise me or other cricket officials. If I won't take any pressure, the same thing will go down to the bottom."
An immediate problem facing Shaharyar is to intervene in the increasingly hostile clash between Aamer Sohail, the chief selector, and Javed Miandad, Pakistan's coach. The pair have been at loggerheads, with Miandad claiming that decisions regarding teams have not been run past him or Inzamam-ul-Haq, the captain. "This is not the biggest or the only issue," Shaharyar explained. "There are a lot of other issues which need attention. I won't be bringing in wholesale changes at once. I will talk to former administrators, cricketers and former players before introducing reforms."
He is also keen to ensure that funds find their way down to the grassroots. "The game needs investment on the lowest level as people don't have grounds or playing facilities. This is essential to maintain the influx of good cricketers."
Shaharyar Khan: 'It's essential that the affairs of the administration are transparent and clean'
