Pakistan to sack 80 cricket officials

ISLAMABAD, April 17, 2007 (AFP) - The Pakistan Cricket Board said Tuesday it will sack 80 employees, including some senior management officials, in the wake of the national team's World Cup fiasco.





Pakistan were ousted from the tournament after a humiliating defeat by minnows Ireland on March 17.

Coach Bob Woolmer was found murdered in his hotel room the next day.

A PCB press release said 80 employees would be "relieved from their positions with severance pay" after a review of its management structure by external consultants.

"The decision to terminate their services was taken on corporate lines," PCB marketing director Ahsan Malik told AFP.

PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Nagmi was quoted by state media as saying that the aim was to restructure the board "ensuring good governance and (the) right man for the right job.

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"Some of the previous employees were not even known to their job description and they were not performing their duties to a level of satisfaction. Besides, they were not suitable in the new structure," he said.

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