The PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt called a Press Meet in Lahore to tell the cricket news media that  PCB had sent a legal notice to the ICC over its decision to shift the 2011 World Cup matches from Pakistan. As goes the inside information, it was former ICC President Ehsan Mani, who suggested that PCB should challenge this ICC decision in court. It is assumed that Mani, who was the ICC Chief between 2003 and 2006, had got enough time to convince PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt regarding this matter during the recently concluded series against Australia Dubai and Abu Dhabi where they were reported to meet regularly.

Mani reportedly told the PCB chief that Pakistan had a strong case as the ICC could not take this decision even on security grounds.  For Butt headed PCB, this legal notice is a kind of protest against the decision. In Pakistan’s opinion, if security is the reason for moving the World Cup matches out of Pakistan, then the same rule should be applicable to Sri Lanka and India.

“We didn't want to and don't want to give useless statements on losing the World Cup matches. But I think our sending the ICC a legal notice is our way of protesting against this decision,” Butt told a news conference in Lahore on Saturday.

This announcement was followed by what came as a latest blow for those Pakistani players who signed up with ICL. As it was made clear by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), you are never going to rest at peace if you ever had any links with India’s rebel cricket league; PCB made it clear, that by breaking all ties with ICL, the Players could not avoid the fines. And separate fines will be imposed on an individual basis.

“We will have an appellate tribunal to deal with each individual case if a player wants to contest the fine. But after this process is over the Board will clear the players to play for Pakistan,” Butt said.

PCB also made it clear that after paying the fines, the players do not automatically become eligible for playing for Pakistan team. It is up to the selectors to decide who would represent the country in international cricket matches and who won’t. The selection procedure strictly depends on merits - confirmed the other board officials too. The PCB chief however admitted that inclusion of the names of three ICL players, Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and Rana Naved in the preliminary list of players for the Twenty-20 World Cup was a mistake. And the mistake was caused due to the unavailability of NOCs. “It was a mistake because they are yet to give us NOCs confirming they have broken their links with the ICL,” said Butt. He also informed the media that until now no player, who had ties with ICL, had given any NOC to the Board.

While the Board says it has a clear stance regarding the issue - submit NOC and you will be considered for a berth in Pakistan team - the players are suspicious about Board’s intentions. In Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq’s opinion, the board sounds neither serious nor sincere regarding the ICL players’ selection for national selection.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricketers, whose contracts were terminated by the IPL franchises, plan to travel to South Africa to sort out the matters relating to non-payment of their dues. Right after the series against Australia will be over, the players, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq would fly to SA to meet the IPL officials to sort out the issues, as neither IPL administration nor the franchises have informed them anything about the status of their contracts - if they have been terminated or suspended and on what grounds.

Following the political tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan authorities have advised the Pakistani players not to visit India and that led the IPL franchises to form their teams without any Pakistani players.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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