Wasim to challenge Justice Qayyum recommendations](http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/dec2002-daily/11-12-2002/sports/s3.htm)
Pakistan’s former captain and fast bowler Wasim Akram has decided to challenge the Justice Malik Qayyum recommendations specifically made against him in the Supreme Court.
In a significant development, Wasim, 36, has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he will be filing a petition soon in the higher court challenging the fines imposed on him and the condition that he not be given the responsibility of leading Pakistan again.
A PCB spokesman, Samiul Hasan, confirmed that Wasim had conveyed to the Board chairman officially about his intentions before leaving for Zimbabwe.
“Yes, he has told us officially that he intends to file a petition challenging the recommendations made by the commission and implemented by the Board,” Hasan said. “The Board has given him the go ahead to challenge the recommendations about him as it is his legal and fundamental right,” he added
This latest development, though belated, is seemingly a last ditch effort by the former captain to try to clear a major hurdle in the way of his being reinstated as captain for the World Cup.
“Why challenge the Justice Qayyum recommendations now? The match-fixing commission had given its recommendations to the Board more then two years ago. If he was so upset about it he would have filed a petition in the court almost immediately,” an observer noted.
“Salim Malik for example didn’t waste any time in challenging the commission’s recommended life ban on him and is still fighting the case despite his appeals being rejected by the lower courts,” he pointed out.
Though it is not known when exactly Wasim’s lawyer will file the petition, but if Wasim is moving the petition in a bid to qualify as captainship material for the World Cup then the time remaining for him is limited.
As the World Cup kicks off in Cape Town from February 8th..
Wasim is still regarded as a prime candidate to lead the Pakistan team in the World Cup atleast by the Board Chairman and a particular lobby but a specific recommendation made by the Justice Qayyum match-fixing commission is a legal hurdle in this happening.
The commission, which worked on the orders of the government specifically, recommended in May 2000 that the Board should avoid reinstating him as captain in future as their were serious allegations and doubts about his role in the match-fixing scandal.
The Justice Qayyum judicial commission after holding its extensive inquiry had recommended a life ban on former captain Salim Malik for his involvement in match fixing and fines on five other players two years back.
These players included Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamamul Haq, and Saeed Anwar who were fined for not cooperating fully with the commission.
The Board spokesman said that while the PCB had no objections to Wasim filing a petition, but it would not provide with him any sort of support.
“We have given him the go ahead. But the PCB has also made it clear it will not provide with any technical or legal support in this matter,” Hasan said.
“The petition he files would be his individual matter. The Board has nothing to do with it. The PCB is not supporting him,” he added.
Wasim led Pakistan to the 1999 World Cup final in England and during his three different terms as captain between 1993 and 2000 Pakistan achieved notable successes in Test and One-day cricket.
But after the team’s return home after the World Cup, he, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed were suspended by the Ehtesaab commission of the government on match-fixing suspicions but Wasim was later reinstated as captain.
According to well placed sources, the Board has given serious thought to having Wasim lead the team in the World Cup as it is not satisfied itself that Waqar Younis automatically commands a place as a player in the One-day squad.
So much so that sometime back Lt. General Tauqir Zia had even sought the legal opinion of Justice Qayyum on the subject of reinstating Wasim as captain and the problems the Board could face because of the recommendations against him.
The PCB spokesman confirmed that Justice Qayyum had sent back a detailed report to the Chairman on this subject but refused to divulge details.
“Obviously we cannot divulge details of that report which is confidential.”
Insiders say Wasim’s name has cropped up for the captaincy in recent weeks because, apparently, even some of the players including the junior ones had made some complaints to the chairman about Waqar’s attitude and form.
Wasim is named in the preliminary World Cup squad of 30 players, as many believe that he unlike Waqar commands an automatic place in the One-day squad if he maintains his fitness
not for an individual, PCB or anything like that.