HAROON SIDDIQUI
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The PCB will announce its decision Friday (today) after the arrival of its chief Zaka Ashraf from Dubai on the wee hours. The PCB does not want to spoil the awards ceremony and will try hard to sort out differences over the issue through dialogues with the ICC that caused trouble between the two.
The PCB chief tried their best to settle the issue amicably but ICC stand spoiled Zaka Ashraf’s all efforts over inclusion of Saeed Ajmal in the awards list. ICC stick to its stand that it has no authority to change the Academy decision. The PCB top brass will boycott the ceremony against the injustice done to the off-spinner Saeed Ajmal despite his good performances in the specified period. Either PCB team management will boycott the ceremony or team will absent from the awards, the source said.
On the other hand, Saeed Ajmal added another feather to his cap by becoming the top Twenty20 bowler in the world according to ICC T20 rankings list issued on Thursday. He is also ranked No 1 in the ODI ranking and No 3 in Test rankings.
Ajmal gained the top Twenty20 spot by securing 782 points followed by English spinner Graeme Swann was second and South African Johan Botha at No 3. The magical off-spinner, during the course of his Twenty20 career, has taken 60 wickets in T20 format. Phillander, who took 56 wickets during the specified period, was preferred over Ajmal who took 72 wickets. Ajmal was named in various categories of long list announced earlier by the ICC but omitted from short list though he was also included in the ICC Test team of the year.
The PCB announced to give special award to the best off-spinner as No. 1 bowler in the world.
The ICC’s decision was widely criticised in Pakistan while cricket-fans brought out rallies to protest the decision. Pakistan cricket legends including Imran Khan, Rameez Raja and some others also condemned the Ajmal’s exclusion and termed it injustice with the great spin bowler.
Cricket circles of Pakistan reportedly termed ICC biased over the shortlist. All the bowlers who have been nominated in the panel are nowhere close to Ajmal as far as the number of wickets in all formats of the game concerned during the last one year. There is a clear bias against an outstanding bowler from Pakistan. Measures like lodging a protest against this decision by the PCB and boycotting the ICC award ceremony are not likely to produce any result. The ICC even rejected the PCB’s plea to review its decision, saying that the ICC has no power to change the academy decision.
This is an unfair decision not to include Ajmal in ICC awards list whatever the reason behind it may be. The PCB must lodge a strong protest with the ICC. If the ICC doesn’t change its decision, every Pakistani player should wear black bands to protest against this decision in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
top 10 T20 bowlers
S. No Name Pts
1 Saeed Ajmal 782
2 G.P. Swann 759
3 J Botha 733
4 BAW Mendis 745
5 NMcCullum 709
6 Shahid Afridi 663
7 SR Watson 650
8 Abdur Razzak 646
9 SL Malinga 645
10 Shakib Al Hasan 642
