Pakistan Super League scandal forces PCB to cancel round-table conference

Pakistan Super League scandal has prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to cancel a round-table conference aimed at improving the sport in the country.

In the wake of the recent corruption scandal in the ongoing second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has cancelled the round-table conference, aimed at improving the sport in the country, and scheduled for March.

Private guards stand alert outside Lahore’s Gadaffi stadium, venue for the upcoming final of the Pakistan Super League, on Tuesday. (AP)

The PCB had last week suspended cricketers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif under its Anti-Corruption Code as part of an ongoing investigation into an international syndicate which is believed to be attempting to corrupt the PSL being played in Dubai.

After that it suspended opening batsmen Nasir Jamshed, who was arrested by Britain’s National Crime Agency in London on Tuesday.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had on February 1, called a conference, expected to be held at the PCB headquarters in Lahore on March 6 and 7, involving former cricketers to resolve issues relating to the development of cricket in the country.

The conference was aimed at discussing issued related to improving the teams’ performance, domestic structure, improvement of pitches, coaching of national and junior teams and encouragement to foreign teams to tour Pakistan.

However, in a press release, the PCB on Wednesday informed that the conference has been cancelled and Shaharyar will talk to former cricketers in working group sessions in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad instead.

“Owing to the recent developments in Pakistan cricket, it has been decided to cancel the round-table conference of cricketers planned by the PCB in Lahore aimed at the improvement of cricket in the country,” the Express Tribune quoted PCB as saying in a statement.

“Instead, the chairman will conduct working group sessions with former cricketers in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to seek their views on the cricket structure in the country,” it added.

The conference was called in the wake of Pakistan’s recent slump. Pakistan suffered a three-match Test series whitewash against Australia before going down 1-4 in the five-match ODI series.

Before that they suffered a 0-2 series Test defeat against New Zealand as well.