Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ejaz Butt has said that even though Mohammad Yousuf is not the in the selectors scheme of things for Twenty20 cricket, the rebel middle-order batsman still remains a big asset for the nation in other forms of the game.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ejaz Butt has said that even though Mohammad Yousuf is not the in the selectors scheme of things for Twenty20 cricket, the rebel middle-order batsman still remains a big asset for the nation in other forms of the game.
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Yousuf, who turned to the unauthorised Indian Cricket League after being ignored for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, was not included in Pakistan's provisional squad of 30 for the second edition of the mega event in England in June.
Interestingly, although the selectors snubbed Yousuf, they included three other ICL players, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved and Imran Nazir in the provisional squad.
However, the trio was later dropped from the squad with the PCB saying that it needed more clarification from the International Cricket Council and ICL organisers on the status of the rebel Pakistani players.
Butt said in a radio interview that Yousuf was not considered for the Twenty20 squad as the selectors didn't consider him fit enough for the shortest version of the game.
Yousuf, however, repeatedly insisted that he can play Twenty20 cricket and even participated in the domestic T20 events to prove his claim.
The right-hander had blamed former captain Shoaib Malik and the previous selection committee of mistreating and sidelining him and said this forced him to join the ICL.
Butt also said in his interview that the PCB was trying to quickly resolve the issue of rebel ICL players as it was aware that from June 1 the ICC would enforce strict regulations on unauthorised and illegal tournaments.
"We are doing our best to resolve this issue and allow our ICL players to be free of any restrictions and to be available again for the country. But it is a complicated situation with lot of legal angles," he said.
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