Waqar doubts ICL players' commitment

Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has questioned the commitment of the Pakistan players who were keen to be part of the national team after featuring in the unofficial ICL. The players have been critical of the international ban, but Waqar said they should have put their country ahead of the ICL.

"I am a strong believer that a cricketer should be permitted to play anywhere, but in this (ICL) case I think somewhere there is a doubt," Waqar said. "It means country was not dear to you before [joining the ICL]."

Currently, all the ICL players are ineligible for their national teams as the league is in direct conflict with the officially recognised IPL organized by the BCCI. However, the future of the ICL players will come up for discussion when the ICC executive board meets in Dubai on April 17-18.

Last week, the PCB had named three ICL players - Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Naved-ul Hasan - in its list of 30 probables for the World Twenty20 in England, only to replace them the day after. While Razzaq played for the Hyderabad Heroes, Nazir and Naved helped Lahore Badshahs win the ICL 20-20 Indian Championship last season.

The dramatic flip-flop by the board highlighted the confusion regarding the status of the ICL players, which led to the administrators considering a "cooling period" ranging between six to 12 months for players who wished to return to the national fold from the unauthorised league.

The move from the PCB drew criticism from Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, and Lahore Badshahs skipper who slammed the board's "unprofessional thinking". He said the Pakistan board and the selectors should have shown more respect to the three players who have represented the country.