PCB likely to take legal action against ICL

The Indian Cricket League (ICL), unrecognised by the top bodies in the sport, is likely to be taken to court by the Pakistan Cricket Board for fielding a Pakistan XI in the ongoing World Series being held at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad.

The Pakistan board's contention is that there is only one team representing Pakistan, which is the team selected by the PCB, as it has been legally authorised to do so by the government.

Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, confirmed the board had asked its lawyers to prepare a brief on the issue. "We are looking at the legal side of this issue," he told PTI. "We believe what is being done is not right."

The current tournament of the ICL features three teams, India XI, Pakistan XI and World XI. This is the first time the ICL has divided its players into national sides, with its earlier three tournaments having featured city-based teams consisting of a mix of players. However, in its previous tournament, it had launched a new outfit in the form of Lahore Badshahs, a team which had only players from Pakistan, captained by Inzamam-ul-Haq and coached by Moin Khan. The side had garnered a big following in Pakistan, with a 100% success record in the tournament till their 2-0 loss in the best-of-three finals.

The Pakistan board, along with several other countries, have already banned players participating in the ICL from national selection. The BCCI had indicated that it wanted ICL players to be barred by other boards at all levels, but a few have received clearance from the England board to play in the 2008 county season.