KARACHI — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will appeal against the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) decision to order fresh elections for PCB chairman within 90 days, the governing body said Wednesday. The IHC declared as null and void the election of Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman in May and stripped the acting chairman Najam Sethi, appointed in late June, of major powers and reversed his decisions. It also called for a five-year audit of the PCB and national academy accounts by the Auditor-General of Pakistan in a 30-page judgment which was officially released Tuesday. “The PCB has in principle decided today to file an intra-court appeal against the judgment of the IHC given on a constitutional writ petition,” the PCB said in a statement. The court's decision could also result in gridlock on matters such as team selection for the tours of Zimbabwe and Singapore and the home series against South Africa, all of which are before end October, the statement added. “Furthermore, the PCB needs to conclude arrangements for media broadcasting agreements... for which tenders are required to be floated on an urgent basis, failing which PCB will suffer colossal monetary losses,” it said. The PCB also said the judgment raises concerns relating to ICC guidelines on the non-intervention of government in the administrative affairs of the board. Sethi had this month appointed former Test captain Moin Khan as chief selector, but the legal advisor of the board Tafazzul Rizvi said until an appeal was heard the situation remained unclear. Warner hits 193 David Warner sent a clear signal Wednesday of his potential to ease Australia's Ashes batting crisis after smashing 193 for Australia A against its South African counterparts. Warner was despatched to southern Africa from the tour of England to find some form after being suspended for punching England batsman Joe Root in a bar. In Pretoria, he reached three figures with his 18th boundary shortly before tea on the opening day of the four-day game. Batting at No. 4, he hit 29 fours and a six before being dismissed by the final ball of the day as the tourists reached 399 for five. Glenn Maxwell finished unbeaten on 103. — Agencies
