Dasti wants PCB to gag players

Karachi:

He openly accused the Pakistani cricketers of being involved in match-fixing but National Assembly's standing committee on sports chairman Jamshed Dasti is averse to players talking to the media and wants the PCB to gag them.

According to an eye witness who attended yesterday's hearing of the committee where an emotional Younus Khan stepped down as captain, Dasti and other members of the committee asked Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt to explain why the players were not being hauled up for speaking so much with the media.

"What is this all about? We read nearly every player whether it is Shahid Afridi or Shoaib Malik giving statements on a regular basis. Doesn't the PCB have a contract with these players? Are there no regulations or rules for them?" Dasti asked Butt.

One member Ali Muhammad noted that every player was giving statements on different issues concerning the team and board had only contributed to creating controversies in Pakistan cricket.

"You must put a stop to this practice. There should be a clear policy on players speaking to the media," he noted.

Dasti, who himself came under fire for telling some television channels that there were suspicions about the Pakistan team having under-performed in the Champions Trophy, also asked the PCB Chief to have a clear policy on appointment of the captain.