LAHORE, Nov 30 (APP): The timely intervention of Chairman,Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar Khan and the work done by the review committee of the PCB saved the future of as many as 150 Under-19 players after Director Game Development, National cricket academy declared them over aged.
Director Game Development (DGD), Aizad Hussain Syed had submitted a report to PCB that more than 150 players including 17 out of 20 of Pakistan U19 team, and 18 selected in Pentangular teams were over-aged on the basis of their wrist test reports,disclosed sources in PCB while talking to APP here on Monday.
They said the report that such a heavy strength of junior players were over aged left everyone in shock,not only in PCB but also in cricket circles of the country as it also included majority of the Pak U19 team cricketers who toured Sri Lanka recently.
“Even the regional cricket associations were also upset as their 18 players selected for the ongoing Pentangular tournament were also part of the over aged players group announced by the DGD”, they maintained.Sources stated that Aizad made it an issue and levelled baseless
charges against the regions for including over-aged players who
in fact were right age players.
The matter was discussed and Chairman PCB, taking notice of the
situation,referred it to the review committee which was appointed
by the PCB Board of Governors.
The committee thoroughly looked into the matter and noted that the tests
were not conducted accordingly and the declaration of heavy number of junior players as over-aged has caused doubts on the entire process as a number of players have already made their mark in international cricket by touring with Pak U19 team.
“Had these players been declared over-aged officially it would have caused
a lot of embarrassment for the country at the international level, besides putting a question mark on their future in the game”,they said.
The committee,headed by Shakil Sheikh,President,Rawalpindi Cricket
Association,Gulzada,President,Peshawar Cricket Association and Zafar Mehmood of Wapda,in its report submitted to the Chairman PCB recommended re-testing of players under the supervision of leading medical experts in the field of radiology.
Based on the recommendations of the committee the Chairman approved
re-testing with the help of world’s best TW3 software after having X-Rays of the players.PCB leading medical expert Dr Sohail Saleem supervised the entire process.
“New wrist tests of overage U19 players proved the earlier judgment of
Aizad Hussain to be wrong. Altogether eight players were declared over aged,only one player of our team which toured Lanka,five of Pentangular teams and two from rest of the players”,they said adding,”Now the 73 players, currently participating in Pentangular U19 being played in Lahore, are eligible for selection of Pakistan squad for U18 World Cup to be played next year”.
Meanwhile,the officials of various regional cricket bodies have expressed
their gratitude to the Chairman PCB and the members of the review committee for unfolding the truth through their transparent investigation into the matter.
They said through this issue DGD Aizad tried to play havoc with the
career of many young guns of Pakistan just for the sake of promotion of his vested interests and to defame the regional cricket bodies and to create bad name for cricket.
“His ultimate aim was to malign regional heads and simultaneously induct
his own club,Stag Club Lahore,in Pakistan team through such nefarious designs at the cost of highly talented junior players”,they added.
Sources said the director game development has already shut down
regional academies this year and there is no academy programme for the grooming of junior players at early level which is causing irreparable loss to the grassroots cricket.
Pakistan's National News Agency
