ICL drops charges against Yousuf

The ICL has dropped its legal action against Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf, according to the Pakistan board.

The move brings to an end the protracted legal battle which began after Yousuf was lured out of playing in the ICL by the Pakistan board, with the promise of a lucrative contract in the IPL. But the ICL took the matter to an arbitration court in Mumbai, arguing that as Yousuf had signed up with them, he was ineligible to play for any other league.

A stay order was passed against Yousuf's participation in the IPL, and an appeal was later filed by the PCB on Yousuf's behalf in the Bombay High Court.

"The position now is that Yousuf himself appeared before the arbitrator and said he was withdrawing his counter charges against the ICL so that issue is now closed," Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's legal adviser, told PTI. "Since Yousuf has become a 'turncoat' the board has nothing more to do with him or his legal battles. He is now a banned player for us."

Yousuf had joined the ICL last month and played in its second season for the Lahore Badshahs. The PCB had banned him soon after and sent a show-cause notice to Yousuf demanding that he pay them more than Rs10 million (US$ 125,000 approx) as costs incurred on litigation with the league.