Well its not new news…but nonetheless good to hear him speak out an international level…
There is also a 3 minutes video clip of the interview on the following link..
http://cricketnext.in.com/news/wasim-akram-lashes-out-at-pcb/51890-13.html
Wasim Akram lashes out at PCB
Gaurav Kalra | CNN-IBNPosted on Nov 22, 2010 at 10:36 | Updated Nov 22, 2010 at 10:54
New Delhi: Pakistan cricket has been hit by a series of controversies in the recent past and all, including the players - former and the present - people of the country, are deeply affected by those incidents. CNN-IBN’s sports editor Gaurav Kalra on the sidelines of Hindustan Times Summit talked to country’s former premier fast bowler Wasim Akram about the grave issues troubling the Pakistan cricket at present.
Gaurav: You are amongst the greatest player that have ever played the game. You are also a proud Pakistani. What did you make of the state of the game in Pakistan at the moment?
Akram: It’s in shambles. There is no leadership. No body knows what’s happening in there. That’s why the players are there where they are. Look at the guy Zulqarnain Haider, he disappeared and still nobody knows why? And it comes up to the cricket board, up to the chairman of the cricket board. And whatever happened in England and still nobody knows what’s happening. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, who is such a talented player and he is only 18. He’s got so many wickets in England. But like I said the cricket board is in shambles. There is no leadership skill in the cricket board and players are just all over the place. They are just there to play cricket and the passion is not there, the hunger is not there. The desire is not there in the boys. Talent is very much there but somebody has to channel it.
http://static.cricketnext.com/pix/sitepix/11_2010/wasim_630.jpg
Gaurav: All these controversies had happened. Some of these have been extremely despairing to watch from the outside because you mentioned the talented players yourself. Is this just about the poor institutions like you said about the Pakistan cricket Board or is it also about the players? Are the players influenced by the people they shouldn’t be influenced by?
Wasim: Probably, but because cricket board hasn’t been giving them any awareness, lessons. Now the cricket in sub-continent has gone from bigger cities to smaller ones, literally villages. So boys who have come from these villages are not educated. So you need to educate them. And for that again the system has got to be right. The chairman has to be focused. I mean our chairman went to England and he said third Pakistan-England one day match was fixed. And then he had to apologies to the English Cricket Board for that. Why say such a thing. Everything is all over the place. Nobody knows what’s happening in Pakistan and the whole country is very disappointed with Pakistan cricket because we do love our cricket.
Gaurav: These three boys in particular. Mohammad Asif has a history of problems. Salman Butt, no one knew whether he had such a history but Mohammad Amir is just 19 and was spoken as next Wasim Akram in terms of bowling skill. Do you see them playing for Pakistan again?
Wasim: I don’t have any idea Gaurav what’s happening. What’s ICC going to do with them. Are they going to ban them? Are they going to let them playing only the first class cricket. So we don’t know. Like I said cricket board never comes out with any statement of what exactly is happening. Everybody is guessing in Pakistan.
Gaurav: You saw the incident that happened in England. Did you look at that and say that there is a problem here? What did you make of the entire situation?
Wasim: Salman called me up a couple of months ago and he said he didn’t do anything wrong. So I told him that why you had been sitting quietly then if you haven’t done anything wrong. You should have told the cricket board in England that to clear my name, instead of just being quiet. So these guys don’t know who to look up to. Now cricket board is not even helping them to do anything. They are hiring their own lawyers. They are getting their own tickets. They are not practicing so that’s what happens in Pakistan cricket that once you are out of the team, cricket board will not even look at you.
Gaurav: Are you worried about them?
Wasim: Yes of course I am worried about them. The young guys and especially I am very worried about Amir. He is just 18-and-a-half and he is a great talent.
