Moin in row with Miandad over money, contemplates quitting

Inzamam ul-Haq and former captain Wasim Akram have been appointed as captains to lead the probables for the remaining two matches. Moin Khan has also been dropped from the remaining two games, leading the media here to suspect trouble for him.

The reason for Moin Khan’s fall from grace is said to be the row about the payment to Miandad out of logo partnership deal with Pepsi, wrote The Nation today. It said there was no love lost between the two as they were rumoured to have come to blows over the same issue at Sharjah before the commencement of the World Cup-99.

The issue at stake was that Moin Khan and almost all the senior players of the team were averse to sharing the logo money with Miandad. The money, roughly amounting to over Rs one million for each player, was given for displaying the Pepsi logo. Players argued that while they displayed the logo on the field during the matches, Miandad took a lion’s share for doing the same in the dressing room.

However, the matter in which most of the senior players have rallied behind Moin Khan, was temporarily quelled in 1999 after the intervention of the tough-talking Board President Gen Tauqir Zia.

Miandad, meanwhile, expressed his unhappiness over the row over the money. “I feel dejected and very disappointed as a player and as a coach,” he told The News. "Everybody knows my status as a coach and these things are only tainting my name and image I have earned after years of hard work," he said at Lahore.

The veteran cricketer said "We should be more concerned about the performance of team, and image of the country rather than getting involved in such petty matters."

While Moin Khan was bracing himself for a new round with Miandad and the board, veteran batsman Saeed Anwar was busy forming a players’ union to assert the rights of the players, reports here said.

Also, fast bowler Waqar Younis who is believed to be nursing serious ambition to take over reigns from Moin Khan smells a fair opportunity in the latest crisis.

Captaincy might end up ensuring a golden lease to his chequered career, said The Nation. (PTI)