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PCB denies Malik appointment

The PCB has denied appointing Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, as head coach of its National Cricket Academy, contradicting a statement to the contrary made by him

Cricinfo staff
05-Nov-2008
The PCB has denied appointing Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, as head coach of its National Cricket Academy, contradicting a statement to the contrary made by him.
Zakir Khan, PCB's director of cricket operations, claimed no such appointment had been made. "Salim Malik has not been appointed to any position with the board or the NCA," he told Cricinfo.
He said the matter had been resolved with the ICC. "We have been in touch with Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, and clarified to him the same that Malik has not been appointed.".
The denial comes a day after Malik said he had "accepted" the post of head coach of the Academy after a life ban on him from any involvement with cricket was lifted by a civil court in Lahore.
"I have been offered the post of head coach at the National Cricket Academy by the board and I have accepted it," he told reporters in Lahore on Tuesday. "I hope after the court's decision of lifting the ban, the ICC will have no objection, and, if needed, we can also apply for ICC's endorsement of the court's decision."
The repercussions were immediate: the ICC said it would ask the PCB to explain Malik's appointment to a post of responsibility, something expressly prohibited by the inquiry. Rashid Latif, one of the first whistleblowers of matchfixing, resigned as wicketkeeping coach at the academy, protesting the appointment.
The cause of the confusion, however, remains to be clarified. Board sources confirmed that Malik had met Ijaz Butt, the chairman, before he made the statements. However, Butt is believed to have made no such offer to Malik during the meeting, sources said.