Imran Khan

Calcutta: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC)-organised seminar in Chennai, on the eve of the two Afro-Asia Cup matches there next month, has ‘lost’ its star speaker — Imran Khan.

“There are too many things happening on the political front in Pakistan and, so, Imran has expressed his regrets. We’re disappointed,” ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq told The Telegraph.

The talismanic Imran, under whose leadership Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, is a member of the National Assembly and a fierce critic of President Pervez Musharraf.

The seminar, with ‘Leading Cricket’ as its theme, will be held on June 8.

According to the Kuala Lumpur-based Huq, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene and senior pro Shaun Pollock, a former South African captain, are “certain” to participate.

Jayawardene, incidentally, is captaining Asia and there’s a good chance that Pollock is going to be Graeme Smith’s replacement as the Africa captain.

[Percy Sonn’s death has come in the way of a meeting involving Africa’s selectors. “We’ve been busy making arrangements for Saturday’s funeral in Cape Town,” is what somebody involved with the selection process said.

A decision is expected in the next day or two.]

“Right now, there are plans for two Board chiefs (India’s Sharad Pawar and Pakistan’s Dr Nasim Ashraf), too, to take part in the seminar,” Huq added.

Besides a representative from women’s cricket, there could be a guest speaker from the Olympic Council of Asia.

“The idea is to broaden the scope of the seminar,” Huq pointed out.

The Afro-Asia Cup gets underway in Bangalore on June 6. Edition No.1 was hosted by South Africa in August 2005.