Farhat decides to quit ICL

Imran Farhat, the Pakistan batsman, has become the latest international cricketer to quit the unofficial ICL. Farhat has said he would apply for a No-Objection Certificate from the ICL and then concentrate on making a comeback to the national team.

"I want to play cricket and I love to play for my country," Farhat, 27, said. He has played 27 Tests and 33 ODIs for Pakistan, and last represented the country in January 2007.

He regretted joining the ICL, and said he was desperate to play more cricket than the league was organising. "Joining the ICL was a mistake which was realised later on," he said. "But it was realised when I found that playing for the ICL meant one would play just one tournament in a year, which is not enough to sate the hunger for cricket."

It's not an easy route back to the national team, even after he gets PCB clearance, as Pakistan have several contenders vying for the opening slots. "My performance in the last domestic season was satisfactory and I will do my best to get a place in the national team as soon as possible," he said. Farhat made a century in one of his two games in the Quaid-e-Azam last season.

Several Pakistan players who quit the ICL - including Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Nazir, Naved-ul-Hasan and Abdul Razzaq - are now back with the national team.