After the footage went viral on the Internet, the PCB was prompted to look into the matter through a committee, headed by board's director of international cricket Zakir Khan, although Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Dilshan had not yet made an official complaint.
But Shaharyar, a former diplomat and ex-foreign secretary, said Ahmed has violated the players' central contract. “He [Ahmed] has breached the central contract in which it is clearly written that you will not get involved in any religious spat.
Contract terms clearly state that no religious comments or remarks can be made on the field in any circumstances,” the PCB chief said. “Such things will just not be tolerated by the PCB. The committee is investigating and will submit a report soon.”
It may be recalled that the same two players were also embroiled in an altercation during the third game of the five-match ODI series in Sharjah last December. Ahmed was subsequently fined 50 percent of his match fee after he was seen exchanging words while grabbing Dilshan's bat and shoving him on the shoulder when Sri Lanka were batting.
The sources said that Ahmed's misconduct has severely jeopardised his aspirations for the captaincy and the board has in principle opted not to give him the responsibilities for next month's one-off Twenty20 International against Australia.
“Although there is no official word from Sri Lanka Cricket on the spat, the PCB doesn't want someone as controversial as Ahmed to be entrusted with the captaincy of the national team. Since he [Ahmed] has violated the central contract's code of conduct, the board is not keen on having him as the [T20] captain now,” sources told Dawn on Saturday.
