PCB seek government advice on Howard

The PCB will seek the advice of the Pakistan government before deciding whether or not to support John Howard's bid for the vice-presidency of the ICC, a stance senior officials say indicates the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue.

Howard, the former Australian prime minister, was nominated by Australia and New Zealand as their candidate for the vice-president's post which will eventually see him take over from Sharad Pawar as ICC president in 2012. But his nomination has run into stiff opposition from a number of boards within the ICC. Four votes are needed to block the nomination and currently, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka are determined to block it. Pawar, who will take over as president in June, backed the process that threw up Howard as a candidate rather than the candidate himself in an ICC statement earlier.

Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, considers Howard a personal friend and is aware of his love for the game. But he has refused to make the voting intentions of his board public, telling Cricinfo only that "the issue is a very sensitive one and it has to be handled delicately." Cricinfo understands, however, that the board has sought the advice of the government on the matter and contacted the office of the President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also patron of the board. Effectively, the board will go by the advice they receive.

Senior board officials remain reluctant to talk about the issue, publicly or privately, but they stress repeatedly that the decision is one serious enough to warrant state advice. "Things on this issue are not as simple as they look," one official told Cricinfo. "What appears on the surface is not what you will see below. That is all I can say currently on the matter."

Another official firmed up the stance. "This is a very big issue and we cannot just decide on it ourselves. It is a complicated matter involving many different aspects so we have to seek direction."

There is little clarity on why the matter should be referred to the government. Diplomatic ties between Australia and Pakistan have traditionally been straightforward, cordial and friendly. Howard last visited Pakistan in 2005, touring northern areas devastated by an earthquake and bowling an embarrassing series of half-trackers at a camp. Howard did rile much of Sri Lanka by calling Muttiah Muralitharan a chucker twice. Murali later forgave him but said on his nomination that Howard would face a tough challenge in trying "to convince the subcontinent."

Another member board has said that they will discuss the issue with other boards before making any decision. A senior official of the Bangladesh board told Cricinfo that the issue of Howard's candidature had not as yet been discussed at boardroom level. But he added that in light of the increasing resistance to his nomination, the matter was likely to be addressed in consultation with other member nations.