Butt returns home after meeting ICC officials

Karachi, April 28: After holding talks with the ICC officials in Dubai, the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt has returned home amid criticism by former players who believe the PCB could have done more to prevent the 2011 World Cup ties from being moved out of the cricket-starved nation.

However, Butt was reluctant to reveal any detail of the meeting to the media in Lahore yesterday evening and declined to give any official statement as well.

The former Test cricketer is facing growing criticism of his handling of major cricket issues while the Senate Standing Committee on Sports has also said it would ask PCB to explain the lavish spending on sending officials and members to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to watch ongoing ODI series against Australia.

Sources close to the Senate Standing Committee said that members were preparing a brief after media reports pointed out that the PCB had spent nearly Rs 15 million paying the daily allowances besides the hotel and travelling expanses of its officials and members.

Two senior officials, Zakir Khan and Mohammad Naeem (who is related to Butt) are said to have pocketed approximately USD 14,000 and USD 13,500 respectively as daily allowances at a time when the board is talking about cost cutting measures to avert a financial crunch situation.

To complicat

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e matters, a consultant and adviser to the PCB women`s wing has made some serious allegations against the Chairperson, Shireen Javed and the Pakistan women`s team manager, Ayesha Ashar pertaining to their personal conduct and interaction with the members of the Pakistan team.

Shireen Javed promptly sent back Azra Parveen to the Punjab Sports Board as the latter was working in the PCB on deputation but cricket circles want the PCB to hold a proper inquiry into the allegations made by the women`s wing adviser.