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Court challenges Tarar

Karachi, Aug 26: Pakistan President Rafiq Tarar has been served with a court notice asking him to explain why he suspended the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and appointed an ad hoc committee in its place.

The Lahore High Court issued a pre-admission notice to Tarar, the patron of the Board, and five others on a petition filed today by the Lahore Cricket Association, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

The association is challenging Tarar's decision to suspend the PCB, which under the Board's constitution the patron has the right to do. The court gave Tarar and the others until Tuesday to respond to the petition.

Tarar suspended the PCB on July 17 and appointed an ad hoc committee headed by Mujeebur Rehman. No official reason was given at that time.

The Lahore Cricket Association asked the court to declare Tarar's decision 'illegal, without lawful authority and of no legal effect'.

The petition adds: ``That the requirement for exercise of power of suppression is that the patron should be satisfied that the Board is unable to perform its function before making an order suppressing the management of the PCB and appointing an ad hoc committee.

``He is under a duty to give reasons justifying the taking of such an extreme drastic action,'' the association's petition said.

There was no comment available from Tarar, who will not have to appear in court in person and can be represented by a lawyer.

Pakistani selectors meanwhile named former captains Aamir Sohail and Rashid Latif yesterday in a list of 24 for a training camp for next month's three-match series against West Indies in Toronto, says another report.

Sohail, 33, was dumped as Pakistan captain last November after Zimbabwe notched up their first win outside their country at Peshwar. Latif, 31, was sacked as captain last March after the tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Chairman of selectors Naushad Ali said he still believed that a lot of cricket was left in the two players.

``They have not been guaranteed a selection but we will watch them with an open mind and if they impress us with their form and fitness, they will be considered for selection,'' he said.

The selectors retained 12 members of the World Cup team but left out skipper Wasim Akram, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed, who were suspended following the release of a 10-month-old report prepared by the PCB probe committee, in which the three were named as suspects in betting and match fixing.

Promising fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed and under-19 all-rounder Yasir Arafat are the only uncapped players among the invitees. The selection committee is likely to name the skipper later this month. A 15-strong squad, which leaves for Toronto on September 12, will be finalised in the second week of September.

But there was no place for Kabir Khan, the left-arm pacer from Peshawar and Habib Bank, who established a new national record by capturing 113 wickets in the 1998-99 season. He also captained Peshawar to their first Quaid-i-Azam Trophy triumph. Instead, the injury-prone Mohammad Akram and Shahid Nazir have been invited for the camp.

On Aamir Sohail, Naushad admitted that he had a discipline problem as he had been fined almost on all tours ``but it is hoped that he will mend himself.''

Sohail has a history of indiscipline behind him. Last season, he clashed with the cricket board chairman and then the selectors before lashing out at the former coach Javed Miandad. In 1997, he was dropped from the tour of Sri Lanka after his verbal confrontation with former chief executive Majid Khan during the semi-final of the National One-day Championship in Lahore.

Team Probables

Moin Khan, Saeed Anwar, Wajahatullah Wasti, Shahid Afridi, Abdur Razzak, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamamul Haq, Waqar Younis, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmad, Saqlain Mushtaq (all 1999 World Cup team members), Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif, Shahid Nazir, Arshad Khan, Hasan Raza, Imran Nazir, Akhtar Sarfaraz, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Akram, Naveed Qureshi, Yasir Arafat and Shabbir Ahmad.