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KARACHI, April 21: Cricket fans expressed shock and dismay over the news of Miandad's resignation which spread like wild fire in the country. Dawn sports section received several calls from men and women enquiring about the authenticity of the news and then asking the reasons for his resignation.

``I am shocked, upset and sad that Javed Miandad has resigned. But his exit is very mysterious and with the World Cup just round the corner, the people deserve to know why he will not be accompanying the team to England,'' Narjis Fawad, a house wife, said.

Seema Aftab, another house wife, condemned the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to hire a South African as technical coach. ``What is the wisdom behind hiring a South African at a handsome salary when we have a master of the game. What is the guarantee that Richard Pybus will be sincere to Pakistan as he is an English-born South African and both the countries are World Cup contenders.''

Fawad Lodhi, a merchant Navy officer, demanded that the PCB should reject Miandad's resignation and request him to rejoin the team.

Several of the callers wanted that the newspapers should take the PCB to task for creating a situation for Javed Miandad in which he was left with no option but to resign. ``Javed Miandad has been sacrificed over discipline. Don't think that we don't know what happened in Sharjah,'' one elderly voiced Usman Ghani said.

``Is this the reward Miandad is getting for transforming a disjointed team into a winning combination. Without Miandad, I have little hope in the World Cup,'' said one Dr Irfan who was keen to contribute an article in which he wanted to discuss how the PCB cornered the former captain.