Cheema to be appointed Chef de Mission for 2015 World Cup

Senior bureaucrat, Naved Akram Cheema is in line to be appointed Chef de Mission of the Pakistan cricket squad that will travel to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup next month.
The Pakistan Cricket Board in an interesting move have decided to go ahead with their decision to send Cheema with the team despite the presence of Moin Khan as manager cum chief selector.
"Cheema has been given permission by the Punjab Chief Minister to accept the cricket assignment since the PCB had requested they wanted him as manager because of his previous experiences with the team," a source in the board told PTI.

"But since Moin has done well so far the decision to ask him to choose one job has been differed to after the World Cup and he will now remain manager but Cheema will be overall incharge as Chef de Mission a new post being created to involve him in the team," the well-informed source said.
He said that PCB chairman, Shaharyar Khan had held a meeting with Moin here and informed him about the decision to appoint Cheema who enjoyed a successful record as Pakistan team manager in recent years before he stepped down himself to take over as Chief Secretary of Punjab.

"The board wants someone senior and experienced to handle things in Australia so that Moin and Waqar Younis can focus on cricketing matters in the World Cup," the source explained.

He said that the Chairman had also approved a proposal to send a media manager with the team to Australia and New Zealand.
There are also unconfirmed reports in the Pakistan media that Cheema is insisting on going as manager in which case Moin would be demoted to the role of assistant manager for the World Cup.
"Moin had a frank discussion with Shaharyar in Karachi and discussed with him in detail the issues surrounding the team in their recent series against Australia and New Zealand in the UAE and also what the selectors had planned for the World Cup," the source said.