PCB appoints tainted cricketer Ejaz Ahmed as Pakistan junior’s coach

The ACC Emerging Asia Cup is scheduled to start on Thursday, December 6. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has clearly refused to send its team to Pakistan citing security concerns, therefore, India are scheduled to play all their matches at Colombo Cricket Club Ground and R Premadasa Stadium. The National Stadium in Karachi is the other host.

In the meantime, the Pakistan Cricket Coach (PCB) has appointed Ejaz Ahmed junior as the head of the Pakistan squad. The decision came as a surprise, but a PCB official mentioned that Ahmed has been involved in coaching at the domestic circuit as nothing has been found against him.

“The board resumed giving coaching assignments of junior teams in domestic cricket to Ejaz two years back,” the official was quoted as saying in Mid Day.

Allegations against Ejaz

Four years ago Ejaz was fired following match-fixing allegations. He was accused to have fixed a domestic match when Basit Ali, also an ex-cricketer, claimed during commentary that Ejaz had told him that he had fixed a game while coaching in Sialkot. Soon after the comments, the board fired Ejaz as the regional coach and handed him with a suspension.

Ahmed had played a couple of Tests and as many ODIs from September 1995 to January 1997. At the first-class level, he played 227 matches with over 13,000 runs to go with 33 centuries and 62 half-centuries. He also has five tons in List A cricket.

As far as the upcoming tournament is concerned, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan will lead the 15-man squad. The team also has the likes of Sahibzada Farhan and Hussain Talat, who have played international cricket. Pakistan will play their first match against Hong Kong in Karachi on this Thurday.

Pakistan Emerging squad

Sahibzada Farhan, Zeeshan Malik, Ali Imran, Hussain Talat, Saad Ali, Khushdil Shah, Saud Shakil, Muhammad Rizwan (captain, wicketkeeper), Ashiq Ali, Muhammad Asghar, Ghulam Mudassar, Sameen Gul, Musa Khan, Muhammad Ilyas, Suleman Shafqat.

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