Qayyum in u-turn over ICL

Pakistan's attorney general, Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who originally condemned the PCB for banning any players who appeared in the ICL from domestic cricket has changed his stance on the issue and now supports the board's move.

Last month he told Geo TV, the Pakistan-based TV channel, that "the board can't stop a player from earning his livelihood. The ban on playing domestic cricket can be challenged by the players."

However, now Qayyum has changed his tune having examined the contracts closely. "As requested, I have examined the matter in depth and also gone through the various documents sent to me particularly clause 3.4 of the ICL agreement," he said through a PCB statement.

"Upon deeper consideration, I am of the opinion that it would not be restraint of trade to disallow various cricketers from playing in Pakistan first-class cricket. The main reason which compelled me to form this opinion is that according to the information supplied to me, in case of conflict in the ICL agreement, the commitments of the ICL agreements are taken to supercede all other commitments".

"In view of all of the above, I am of the considered view that it can be permissible to disallow cricketers contracting with ICL from playing domestically in Pakistan."

The PCB has reaffirmed its earlier stance that the six ICL players - Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Shabbir Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood - would not be eligible to represent Pakistan internationally or play in the domestic tournaments.