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ACC told to get its act together

Pakistan Cricket Board president Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia called upon the Asian Cricket Council "to get its act together and organise itself".

Zia, who also heads the ACC, said it is necessary to "learn from the mistakes of the past''.

At a press conference in Sharjah on Wednesday, after the Annual General Meeting of the ACC, Zia announced that the meeting proposed to set up an 'Asia Foundation' for funding and development of cricket in the region.

''We need to organise ourselves better ... In the past the ACC accounts were not even audited,'' he said.

He said Sri Lanka, who headed the ACC prior to Pakistan, will submit audited accounts till September, 1999, at the June meeting of the body, to be held in England.

ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya will be one of the members of the Asia Foundation, which will be headed by him.

''The foundation is expected to garner resources worth 50 million dollars a year, and the amount will be used by the development committee for the promotion of the game. High-profile personalities are needed for the foundation, and the funds coming from the ICC is not enough,'' he said, justifying the need for the foundation.

From India, the meeting was attended by Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary J Y Lele and treasurer Kishen Rungta.

Zia said certain amendments were also proposed towards the composition of the development committee, and in the interim, its president will be from one of the full members.

''Constitution of the DC (development committee) needs revision and detailed scrutiny.''

He disclosed that the funds of the ACC will soon be transferred to a bank in the United Arab Emirates.

''In view of turmoil in some cricket boards, it is important to have the funds in a neutral place,'' he said without elaborating.

Zia said the ACC owed guarantee money of one million dollars each to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

''We will give the money to India and Sri Lanka, but not to Pakistan because of its own fault in the fight against sponsors Coca Cola,'' he said.

''The Pakistan Board has to suffer for its fault. PCB did violate the contract,'' he remarked candidly.

He said the PCB has decided to provide coaching to four players from the associate countries (Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong) at its own cost.

''We are shortly getting bowling, fielding and batting coaches. Cricket playing countries have equal responsibility for promotion of the game,'' he felt.

UNI