PCB bans players from writing coloumns during future tours

Lahore, Dec 15 (UNI) Following the disastrous India tour, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to ban players from writing newspaper columns or give paid interviews to television channels during tours in the future.

''We want our players to be completely focused on national duty while on tours,'' PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf was qouted as saying by 'The News'.

Ashraf, who adressed a press conference here yeaterday to outline the reasons for the defeat said, ''However, in order to help the players stay more focused on the game, the PCB for the time being has decided not to allow any player including the captain to write articles for newspapers or periodicals.'' ''Though it was also the policy during the Indian tour that every article will be approved by the media manager, material to newspapers in some cases was conveyed through the telephone.'' ''We will ensure discipline in the team at all cost and no one will be spared in case of any misconduct,'' he warned.

The PCB was previously following a relaxed policy which allowed several senior players like captain Shoaib Malik, vice-captain Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar to write syndicated columns during the tour of India.

The Chairman also stated that the PCB has adopted a new selection policy according to which the tour management committee will not be authorised to name players which they want as replacements during a tour. A pool of reserve players would be selected the after consultations betweens the national selectors, the captain and the coach before the comencement of the tour.

''The management will only be allowed to ask the selectors that they need a bowler, batsman or all-rounder as replacement. The decision as which player should go would be taken by the (national) selection committee,'' Ashraf said. ''Replacements would be sent from among that pool of reserve players.'' Pakistan cricket has been going through a crisis recently after an abysmal tour of India during which they lost both the ODI and Test series.

UNI