Nazir eyes Pakistan return

Nazir eyes Pakistan return

Pakistan opener Imran Nazir has resigned from the unauthorised Indian Cricket League and is keen on returning to the national team.

Nazir met with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials including chairman Ijaz Butt to confirm his resignation, although he in unsure whether he would be immediately available for selection.

Earlier this week, middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq also terminated their services with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and were cleared for selection by the PCB after their decision to join the ICL saw them banned from international as well as domestic cricket.

In line with many other boards, the PCB had offered players with links to the ICL amnesty if they quit the unauthorised league by May 31.

The PCB, however, have maintained they would deal with players returning from the ICL on a case-by-case basis.

"I have resigned from the ICL and informed the league I can't play for them any longer," Nazir said.

"I met with PCB officials and they were very cordial and have accepted my resignation.

"I haven't been told of any cooling period or any fine being imposed by the PCB.

"I'm keen on resuming my international career and hope to be in contention for the Sri Lanka series next month."

PCB continues to put pressure on the ICC

PCB continues to put pressure on the ICC

The PCB seems to be in no mood to give in easily to the ICC's decision to strip the nation from co-hosting the 2011 World Cup. Days after the chief cricketing body was issued a notice by the PCB in which it stated that the decision seemed 'legally flawed,' it has now raised the ante. The board sent a letter to Micheal Beloff, president of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee asking them to refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS). In a statement released, the PCB said that the letter carried a request whereby the matter should be referred to the arbitration tribunal which was appointed in accordance with the rules of court of CAS to be held in the United Kingdom. It justified its stand by stating that since the controversial decision was taken by ICC executive board, the Pakistan Board deems it appropriate that in the interest of justice, equity and fair play, the matter should be adjudicated by CAS rather than the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee. The ICC was even asked to expedite on the matter. The letter meanwhile was sent to Beloff through Mark Gay of DLA Piper, who'd be assisted on the matter by PCB's legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi.

The move gains great significance as there has been a strong feeling within the PCB and in the country on the whole that the ICC could have waited more before delivering their vedict. Despite the attacks on the Sri Lankan team which many feel was the final nail in the coffin so to speak, the feeling within the country was that 2011 was still 2 years away and the security situation could have improved by then. There is also a suspicion that the country has been targeted by certain members of the ICC who have used the situation to their advantage and have sidelined Pakistan in the process. The ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat chose to not comment on the matter saying that it's a matter of dispute and that they'll have to deal with it.

In things related to Pakistan cricket, allrounder Shahid Afridi stated that despite playing very little international cricket, his team will still be a force to reckon with in the T20 World Cup in England. Even Bangladesh have played more international cricket than Pakistan in the past 2 years but despite that, Afridi feels that the team under the able leadership of Younis Khan will be strong enough to make up for the lack of adequate international outings.

Ehsan Mani hints the role of India in keeping Pakistan out of hosting 2011 World Cup

Ehsan Mani hints the role of India in keeping Pakistan out of hosting 2011 World Cup

The already tense atmosphere within the Asian Bloc post ICC's decision to strip Pakistan from co-hosting the 2011 World Cup took an even uglier turn. Former ICC President, Ehsan Mani came out with statements that his country could have been manoeuvred out of its hosting rights due to a split within the Asian Bloc led by India. He also criticized the ICC for its inability to look for viable solutions.

Mani is widely thought to be the person who's been the major guiding force behind the PCB in its legal battle with the ICC. However, he's advised his country's officials to keep 'back-channel communications' open with the ICC throughout the process. The former ICC Chief said that fears that the subcontinent could lose the World Cup altogether could have prompted the split to happen within the strong Asian Bloc, something that in his words had not happened in his 20 years of association with the game. Mani conceded that relations between the ICC and the PCB were 'not good' and said that his Board should have been given a chance of presenting its case. In his opinion, in the end Pakistan was left with no other choice other than to adopt the legal route.

In a separate development, former West India legends, Sir Gary Sobers and Sir Vivian Richards threw their weight behind Test cricket and said that the longest format of the game was still the pinnacle. Viv Richards was particularly harsh in his comments on Gayle as he said that the captain's recent statements on Test cricket were tantamount to a "total betrayal of the game that raised him". He said that Gayle must remember that he was first noticed due to the success that he'd achieved in Test cricket and not in any other form of the game. Sobers, while maintaining that he couldn't relate to the cash versus country debate also supported the statements of Richards and hoped that Test cricket would still be considered as the most revered format of the game. Gayle had come under severe criticism for his decision to extend his IPL stay in South Africa and land in England just 2 days prior to the 1st Test. Additionally, he'd made comments in the press wherein he stated that he wouldn't particularly mind if Test cricket were to die as a result of the growing popularity of T20.

World Cup 2011

World Cup 2011

PCB to meet board chiefs over WC dispute

May 21, 2009

The PCB will sit down with the ICC and World Cup hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in Dubai on June 3 to try and reach an out-of-court settlement over the 2011 World Cup dispute that saw Pakistan's share of matches taken away over security concerns. Since the decision in April - taken after the terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka in Lahore in March - Pakistan and the ICC have been locked in a legal wrangle; the PCB filed a notice over the decision, calling it discriminatory and illegal and arguing that the correct procedures had not been followed. The meeting is the first indication of any kind that the impasse may be resolved outside of a courtroom.

The meeting will be attended by ICC president David Morgan, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, and top officials from the BCCI, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president and Morgan's chosen successor, will also be part of the meeting.

It appears to be the result of Butt's recent trips to Sri Lanka and India, where he met DS de Silva, the SLC chairman, and Pawar to drum up support and discuss Pakistan's case. After the spate of legal action - which included filing a case in a Lahore civil court against the removal of the World Cup secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai and also referring the entire matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne - relations between the PCB and the ICC, as well as other members, had worsened considerably. Butt's visits were seen also as diplomatic missions to improve communications between PCB and the remaining hosts of the world cup.

"I had very detailed discussions with Mr Pawar and the meeting went well," Butt told Cricinfo. "We decided some solution has to be worked out and we will have a discussion in Dubai on June 3. David Morgan, Mr Pawar and the heads of SLC and BCB will all be there as we discuss the situation and work towards a solution."