Maintain discipline in Lanka tour: PCB to national team

KARACHI: The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) might have been caught off-guard by the spot-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League (IPL), but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), having learnt its lessons, is not willing to take any chances on the same issue with its players.

Pakistan team’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema has put in place stringent measures on the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka to ensure there is no fixing or controversy associated with the players.

“Since the last few tours, the board has made it clear to the players what is expected of them on foreign assignments and adhering to anti-corruption measures form a huge part of their responsibilities,” Cheema was quoted as saying Thursday.

He said that even before the team embarks on the tour to Sri Lanka, players would be given a proper lecture on anti-corruption and disciplinary issues and the code of conduct they had to follow as national team members.

“Obviously, there will be round the clock security and monitoring of the players and they will be advised not to accept any gift from strangers or invite anyone to their rooms except their families or team members,” he said.

A well-placed source in the PCB said that some more clauses were being added to the new central contracts that would be awarded to players probably before they leave for Sri Lanka on May 28.

“One of the clauses states clearly that players cannot commit to any event of any nature without first getting clearance from the board and another pertains to players not giving any media statement or appearance without prior permission of the board,” he said.

The source said the players would also be told in clear terms that anyone found in close proximity to any suspicious person or accepting gifts would be sent back home immediately.

“The PCB is dead serious about enforcing anti-corruption measures and discipline in the team. The management has been told not to compromise on this at all.” (Daily Times)