Miandad says his options are open (24 April 1999)

24 April 1999

Miandad says his options are open

By Samiul Hasan

KARACHI, April 23: Javed Miandad is expected to reverse his decision anytime after attending Prime Minister's reception on Saturday. According to the same source who had told Dawn a day before that Miandad would submit his resignation on Wednesday, the reversal was in the offing.

"Everything is in place for Miandad to continue as coach of the team," he remarked without disclosing other details.

While talking to Dawn from Lahore on Friday, Javed Miandad hinted that he could still return to the job as he has kept his options open. "My doors are still open for negotiations. If the top hierarchy (of the PCB) discusses the matter with me, I can be flexible but so far no one has contacted me," Miandad said.

However, a cricket board official responded: "If the man doesn't want to go, how can we force him to proceed. It was his unilateral decision and the cricket board was not consulted."

Miandad, breaking his silence for the first time since submitting resignation two days ago, said he was dejected with the PCB decision to appoint two more coaches. "I have been with the team for the last eight months and when the team is ready for the big occasion, they (PCB) have appointed two more coaches.

"What can the two coaches do in two months which I haven't been able to do in eight months? Besides, who will be responsible if the team, God forbidden, fails to win the World Cup?"

He added that he had been responsible for grooming the team since September last year "but the board didn't bother to consult me while appointing a technical and fast bowlers coach. Was it not an effort to downgrade my status?"

Miandad on Friday approached a cricket board official and confirmed to him that he would be attending Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's reception which is being hosted in honour of the Pakistan team that toured India in January and February this year.

"That's true. I will be attending the reception and if the Prime Minister and other officials ask me to continue, I might reverse my decision but that would purely be in the interest of the country," said Miandad.

The Pakistan team left for Islamabad from Lahore on Friday evening but Miandad will board the same flight on Saturday morning which will be taken by PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood and chief executive Majid Khan.

"If the chairman and chief executive (of the PCB) would discuss the issue on the flight, I will talk to them. But it has deeply hurt me reading their statements that I didn't contact them."

Miandad has a history of reversing his decisions. Besides this latest one, Miandad, on April 6, 1994 announced his retirement from international cricket in tears but reversed his decision within a month. He went on to represent in his record sixth World Cup but couldn't play in 1994 and 1995 because of knee injury.

Meanwhile, a copy of the agenda of the executive council was made available to the press on Friday. The items on discussion are:

1 - Approval of accounts for 1997 and the revised budget for 1998-99;

2 - Approval of the Pakistan's World Cup squad and its manager;

3 - The situation arising from Javed Miandad's resignation;

4 - Restructuring of first-class cricket to improve its standard with special emphasis of one-day cricket;

5 - Nominations for the panel of ICC umpires and referees;

6 - Plan for the setting up a cricket academy;

7 - Manager's report on the tour of India and the Asian Test Championship;

8 - Formation of a welfare trust for old cricketers and other associated with the game who are in distress;

9 - Prize money for Pakistan cricket team for victories achieved in India and incentive for winning the World Cup;

10 - Any other important matters.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)