Moin to captain Pakistan against New Zealand

Moin Khan is to stay on as Pakistan's captain for the tour of New Zealand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.

Moin's captaincy and place on the tour had been in doubt after he and some of the team ran into a dispute with coach Javed Miandad about the sharing out of money from a $1.3 million logo contract.

"Moin has been retained as captain for the tour to New Zealand. But (an) extension for the tour to England in June will be decided after evaluating his and the team's performance," PCB director Munawwar Rana said.

Moin and other senior players were reportedly unhappy over the deduction of 100,000 Pakistan rupees ($1,700) each from the logo deal with a soft drinks manufacturer and used to pay Miandad.

Miandad had said payments made to him did not violate the contract and Rana said on Friday everything had been settled after a meeting between Moin and PCB chairman Tauqir Zia.

"There were misconceptions regarding the distribution of logo money. Most of the players neither know nor are supposed to know what is the agreement between the board and the coach," he said.

"Naturally the week-long controversy has affected the morale and confidence of the players ahead of the series but the dust has now settled. The players, captain and the coach know what is expected of them on a demanding tour like New Zealand."

Moin, who faced scathing criticism after his team lost the home test series to England, said he was relieved after the cricket managers kept faith in him.

"It was one of the worst weeks of my career. I had never encountered a crisis like this when every morning I was reading that I am about to be thrown out," he said.

"Of course it affected my concentration but now I am looking forward to the New Zealand tour and hopefully will make amends for some poor performances with the gloves and bat."

The team leave on Tuesday for Sharjah where they play India and Bangladesh in an earthquake relief series between February 8 and 11 before proceeding to Auckland on February 13 for five tests and three one-day internationals.

Mail Cricket Editor