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CBFS know nothing about Sarfraz: Asif
By Ashok Tuteja
Jan 14, 2001, 15:30 Hrs (IST)

Dubai: The Cricketers' Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) has denied that it would declare controversial former Pakistani medium pacer Sarfraz Nawaz as 'persona non grata' if he was nominated as one of the beneficiaries of the Sharjah cricket tournament to be held in April.

''So far, we don't know whether Sarfraz is included in the list from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or not. So there is no question of declaring him persona non grata,'' CBFS Chief Coordinator and former Pakistan Skipper Asif Iqbal told 'Khaleej times'.

He was reacting to reports in the Pakistani media, which indicated that the CBFS was not in favour of Sarfraz being nominated as one of the beneficiaries as he had allegedly maligned the name of hosts of the Sharjah tournaments.

The news report said the CBFS might not extend an invitation to Sarfraz for its official dinner, a traditional function to honour the beneficiaries. However, Asif, who had a bitter relationship with Sarfraz, said, ''This is news to me. The CBFS has not yet received the final list of beneficiaries from the Pakistan board and we know nothing about it''.

He said Majid Khan (another former Pakistan skipper) has declined the CBFS benefit, saying he does not need money and that a deserving cricketer could replace him.

Mr Zahid Noorani, CBFS Chief Executive Officer, said, ''There is no question of declaring Sarfraz as persona non grata or for that matter barring him from entering the country. Moreover, the CBFS sends the beneficiary money to the respective boards for disbursement''.

On what the CBFS would do if Sarfraz was named as one of the beneficiaries by the PCB, Mr Noorani said, ''It is all hypothetical and it is too early to comment''. The response from CBFS founder Abdul Rehman Bukhatir was ''no comments''.

The tournament in April will feature India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India has already named former skipper Mansour Ali Khan Patudi, former wicket-keeper Farooq Engineer and former medium pacer Chetan Sharma as beneficiaries of the tournament. Each of them will receive a purse of $ 35,000.

UNI