LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt refrained from commenting on the fate of Pakistan’s T20 captain Shahid Afridi on Monday, saying it was the domain of incumbent chief Shaharyar Khan.

Afridi’s men had already lost the T20 series against England before Monday’s third match, raising question marks over the team’s make up ahead of next year’s ICC World Twenty20.

Talking to media after a meeting with Shaharyar at the Gaddafi Stadium, Ijaz didn’t comment on whether Afridi’s fate as captain was hanging in the balance although reminded that he had once — on the instruction of a PCB chief — dealt with a cricketer.

“I won’t name that cricketer, but on the instruction of [then-PCB chairman] Nur Khan I flew to New Zealand and handed that player his air ticket to go back home,” he recalled.

“As far as the current situation is concerned, it’s up to the PCB chairman to take a decision.”

Ijaz, meanwhile, said he was of the view that series against India be deferred for the future with very little time left to finalise it.

The PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are yet to come to a final decision regarding holding series at a neutral venue and Ijaz said “it would be appropriate to defer it for the future”.

“The Pakistan government has already given PCB the green signal for the series but they should wait for a reply of the BCCI before deciding on [the Dec 17-Jan 4] series in Sri Lanka,” he added.

The BCCI is still awaiting clearance from the Indian government to go ahead with the series.

To a question about a recent statement by BCCI president Shashnak Manohar, who is also the ICC chairman, slamming Big Three’s hold on the cricket governing body, Ijaz said he felt there “is very little room for change now”.

“But despite Zaheer Abbas being powerless in his role as ICC president, he should try to get benefits for the PCB through back-door diplomacy,” Ijaz added.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2015