Ready to help Pakistan cricket, but some PCB officials don't want that: Wasim Akram

Karachi: Former Test captain and pace legend Wasim Akram is ready to help get Pakistan cricket back on its feet but believes some members of the cricket board don’t want to see him doing this. There were reports that some members of the board of governors of the PCB didn’t want the Chairman to consult him in cricket matters, including in the fresh appointments to be made after the World T20. Akram said: “If some member(s) don’t want the Chairman to consult me or seek my advice on appointment of a new coach…I think it is because they don’t want to see anything improve in our cricket,” Wasim said on Geo News channel. “I met with the Chairman for a short while at the Kolkata airport and that is all. But now I hear about this resistance to me being involved in Pakistan cricket,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_2695498” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Wasim Akram. Getty Images[/caption] Akram said he was what he was because of Pakistan cricket and not because of the cricket board. “I am always willing to help out Pakistan cricket and do my best to improve things. But if someone doesn’t want this, it means they don’t want to see improvement in our cricket,” he said. Shaharyar had told the media recently that he had spoken to Akram about appointing a foreign or local coach. The Akram also felt that drastic improvement was required in Pakistan’s cricket system, particularly domestic cricket. “We need to upgrade and modernize our cricket system because at this time we are 10 years behind the other big nations,” he said. Akram said it was useless finding someone to blame for the recent poor performances as the quality of cricket had fallen in Pakistan cricket. Shakil Sheikh, a senior member of the BOG, who heads the cricket committee and is also in the fact-finding committee formed by the board after the Asia Cup, is reported to have resisted involving Akram and former captain Ramiz Raja in cricket affairs. Shakil apparently told Shaharyar at a meeting of the cricket committee on Wednesday that Wasim and Ramiz keep on criticizing the board and also interfere in team matters by trying to influence some players in the side. He also raised questions about Wasim’s past with reference to fixing scandals and questioned how could the PCB trust or seek advice from him. PTI