Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad has held country's cricket Board responsible for the increasing incidents of indiscipline by players.
KARACHI: Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad has held country's cricket Board responsible for the increasing incidents of indiscipline by players, specially Shoaib Akhtar, who was on Friday recalled from South Africa after he hit Asif with a bat during net practice.
"I hold the Board responsible for the shame that has been brought on Pakistan because of this shameful incident. For the last few years, the lenient stand taken by top officials has led to this situation today," Miandad told.
Miandad said Shoaib had crossed the limit and does not deserve to be in the team.
"This is not the first time that Shoaib or some other players have flouted discipline or violated team regulations. They gained more strength when the Board remained quiet in the past," he said.
"Just tell me how much has he has played in the last few months. Yet the Board runs after him. So he and some other players have no respect or regard for officials. This was bound to happen," he added.
Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison.
Pakistan's highest Test run-getter, said the problem aggravated because for the last few years the chief-patron (President) had been appointing non-technical people with the the Board.
"These people have been more interested in pampering the top players, making foreign tours on one pretext or the other or getting close to the players. A former player will never tolerate what has been going on in this Board and team," Miandad said.
He called on President Pervez Musharraf to eliminate top hierarchy in the Board and bring in technical people on important positions.
He also demanded a strict action against Shoaib to set an example for the future for other players.
Former players, Waqar Younis and Aamir Sohail also felt that Shoaib should be shown no sympathy.
"He deserves no leniency at all. In the past he has got away several times flouting the rules," Waqar said.
Sohail said, "This is too much, you don't expect a professional cricketer to behave like this. This is a national team after all," he said.
He supported the Board's decision to call back Shoaib from South Africa and said more action should be taken against him.
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