Islamabad: Ignoring demands for ouster of Pakistan Cricket Board chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia in the wake of team's first round exit from the World Cup, Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday gave him an indefinite extension in the post. While extending Zia's tenure, Musharraf, who is also the patron of PCB, has not fixed any specific term for him, official APP news agency quoted a PCB official as saying. "There is no specific time-frame given to Gen Zia to continue. It is indefinite," the unidentified PCB official said. Zia, a serving Corps Commander of the Pakistan Army and close confidant of Musharraf, has already refused to quit despite calls from several quarters including former captain Imran Khan. Last year Zia had put in his papers after the team posted its lowest-ever total in the Test series against Australia in Sharjah but was convinced by Musharraf to continue. This time Zia declined to own responsibility for the team's poor performance in the World Cup and instead put the blame on the senior cricketers including skipper Waqar Younis for their failure to live up to the expectations. Zia appointed a three-member committee headed by a retired Army Colonel and former cricketer, Naushad Ali, to determine the reasons for the team's disastrous performance. The committee is currently interviewing various players and officials, and is expected to submit its report before the team leaves for Sharjah to take part in the tri-nation series beginning from April 1.

Tags: cricket, pakistan cricket board, tauqir zia, pakistan president gen pervez musharraf, imran khan, waqar younis, naushad ali.