Former Pakistan players Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar on Saturday said they would challenge a ban on playing domestic cricket slapped on them in punishment for taking part in a rebel Indian league.
"It is unjust to ban us from playing domestic cricket because it's our bread and butter. We will take the matter to the court very soon and fight this ban," Farhat and Umar said at a joint press conference. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday decided to ban players who featured in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) held in India in November-December last year.
The ICL, bankrolled by India's largest media group which owns the Zee television channel, lured some two dozen foreign players to their league which was not sanctioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) nor the International Cricket Council.
The PCB had warned players joining the league that they would not be selected for the national team in future and last month barred the ICL players from featuring in domestic cricket. Besides Farhat and Umar, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, former all-rounders Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood, and paceman Shabbir Ahmed also played in the rebel league.
Star batsman Mohammad Yousuf also signed for the ICL but withdrew on the instructions of the PCB and instead signed with the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League due to start later this year.
"We had filed the petition last month but after PCB showed some leniency we withdrew it, but now the PCB has taken a U-turn on the matter so we are going to file the case by next week," said Farhat, who played 27 Tests and 33 one-day matches for Pakistan.
Umar, also a left-handed opener like Farhat, played 25 Tests and 19 one-day matches. Farhat said they also had the support of their former captain Inzamam. "Inzamam has also promised his support and there is no rule on which they can ban us."