Sports minister calls for control of PCB

Pakistan's sports minister, Pir Aftab Shah Jilani, has said that the country's cricket board must be brought under the control of the ministry in order to keep a check on the PCB's functioning.

"PCB 's paid employees are creating controversies with their statements and their lavish spending ways are going without any check," Jilani was quoted by cricketnirvana.com. "Under this scenario it is important that the PCB is put under the sports ministry.

"Chief selector Abdul Qadir, director-general Javed Miandad and coach Intikhab Alam are making statements after statements and it gives the impression that no-one is there to stop them," he said. "Their statements create a lot of confusion and differences between them and all of them are paid employees. So there is a need to put a check on them."

The sports ministry has also been sent the proposed changes recommended in the PCB constitution by Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the patron of the board.

"I am thankful to the president for sending the recommendations to the ministry because the new chairman Ijaz Butt is asking for more power than given to Nasim Ashraf and this is not feasible," said Jilani. "If the board has no accountability and balance, the officials will spend money like they are doing now and the mismanagement will continue."