Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Lt. General Tauqir Zia, has strongly defended the inclusion of Faisal Iqbal in the Pakistan squad for Sharjah as the 16th player.

Faisal was included in the squad on his instruction and under pressure from no one, said he, the criticism in a section of the press, the Chairman clarified, was most unfair. It was the declared policy of the PCB to groom the potential players and give them the necessary exposure. "It is of paramount importance to keep those players in harness who are on the fringe and can be useful to the team in the build up for the World Cup," said the Chairman PCB.

Faisal Iqbal has been with the Pakistan squad for the last one and a half year and has also performed well in the domestic season. "It was, therefore, felt that he should be included as the 16th player, a decision that I took purely on merit and without any pressure whatsoever, " Tauqir Zia, added.

Khalid Butt
Media Manager
April 4, 2002

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