Razzaq in trouble over Hafeez criticism

Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a showcause notice to the allrounder Abdul Razzaq and asked him to explain his outburst against Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez after the World Twenty20.

On his return from Sri Lanka, Razzaq criticised Hafeez for selecting him in only one game of the tournament. "It was Hafeez's decision not to pick me for the semi-final, not anyone else's," Razzaq told reporters in Lahore. "I know the team management didn't drop me, it was Hafeez alone who didn't want me to play."

PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar confirmed that Razzaq was bound to follow the code of conduct though he wasn't a centrally contracted player. By speaking to the media without the PCB's consent, he had breached the player's code of conduct, which forbids them from speaking to the media without prior permission from the board.

"He [Razzaq] has been served a showcause notice for breaching the code of conduct," Sarwar told ESPNcricinfo. "He has been given seven days to respond, starting from October 10."

After being selected in the Pakistan squad, for the World Twenty20, after a gap of nine months, Razzaq played just one game in the tournament, scoring 22 off 17 balls in the Super Eights win over Australia. "I was very sad and disappointed to not get a chance to play in the semi-final. I was mentally prepared for the big match and it came as a huge letdown to know I was not playing," Razzaq said, adding that Pakistan had the perfect opportunity to win the tournament.