PCB to decide on Malik's outburst

Karachi:

Pakistan Cricket Board will decide on Monday whether to take any disciplinary action against former captain Shoaib Malik for his criticism of the Champions Trophy team management and insistence that he will never bat as an opener and at number three positions again.

The board is also looking at another statement made by the assistant manager of the team Shafqat Rana after the side returned from South Africa in which he made negative comments about captain Younus Khan.

"The officials concerned are looking at the statements and will take a decision on them on Monday," a PCB spokesman said today.

Malik, meanwhile, has already retracted from his statement insisting he never meant to criticise anyone and that his statement had been misunderstood and misreported.

Rana, in his statement, had said that Younus should not have played in the Champions Trophy because of his finger injury and that the Pakistan captain insisted on playing Rana Naved in the semifinals even though the team management wanted to play Mohammad Asif.

Shafqat Rana, who is tipped to take over as the manager from Yawar Saeed, also said that the captain and coach should not have changed Malik's batting order in the semifinal. Under the PCB code of conduct team officials and players who are centrally contracted are not supposed to criticise or speak on team matters publicly.