Razzaq blames PCB for ICL players' mess-up

Karachi: Experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who has expressed his desire to return to the national team, is aghast with the step-motherly attitude of the PCB towards the Indian Cricket League players and feels the board had complicated matters by consulting the ICC on the issue.

"There was no need to consult the International Cricket Council because I have ended my contract with the ICL so I don't see any problem if I want to play for my country again," Razzaq, who recently ended his contract with ICL to play for Pakistan, said.

"I just feel that the Pakistan Cricket Board has complicated matters by approaching the ICC for advise," he added.

He said it was not an easy decision for him to end his contract with the ICL but he did it on the advise of Pakistan captain Younis Khan.

"And also because I am very keen to represent my country once again," he added.

However, the ICL organisers are yet to confirm about the termination of Pakistani players' contracts.

Pakistan named ICL players in squad for World Twenty20

The PCB has included Abdul Razzaq, Naved-ul-Hasan and Imran Nazir, all three of whom participated in the ICL, in the list of 30 players for the World Twenty20 to be held in England in June. Though the list features their names, whether or not they will play in the tournament is still subject to ICC approval. The PCB had earlier accepted the decision of the Sind High Court in February to temporarily lift the ban on 17 ICL-contracted players and permitted them to participate in domestic cricket. Razzaq, Naved and Nazir have been absent from the international scene for more than a year after opting to join the unauthorised league.

Also included in the squad is Shoaib Akhtar, who had earlier been named in a 15-man squad for the ODI series against Australia in the UAE. Shoaib returns to international cricket after being ruled out of the scheduled tour of Bangladesh, which was suspended due to security concerns, as a result of a knee injury.

Apart from the known faces in the Pakistan team, the squad for the World Twenty20 also includes allrounder Wahab Riaz, who impressed in the recently concluded RBS Cup domestic tournament, and Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, also in the squad for the series against Australia.

Pakistan Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hassan, Ahmed Shehzad, Umer Amin, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Kamran Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Aizaz Cheema, Muhammad Aamir, Wahab Riaz, Imran Ali, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman, Yasir Shah, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Imran Nazir