The rebel Indian cricket league has succeeded in signing up two more Pakistan
test players, Taufiq Umar and pacer Shabbir Ahmed.
The two along with allrounder, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat leave tonight for
India to play in the ICL which kick off later this month.
The joining of opener Taufiq and Shabbir has clearly caught
the Pakistan cricket Board by surprise as no official was willing to comment
on the development.
Shafqat Naghmi the chief executive officer who left today for
India was not available while other senior board officials are already
in India .
Taufiq said he had taken the plunge after facing disappointment after disappointment
from the national selectors.
"I had no other option because I have an uncertain future
in Pakistan cricket and the ICL is a good opportunity to earn some good money,"
he said.
Taufiq was last month called up for the test series against
South Africa but was not selected for any match.
He said no board official had tried to contact him or Shabbir
to discuss their ICL contracts.
Shabbir, the tall pacer said he opted for the ICL after being
ignored by the national selectors for nearly a year.
"ICL is a good chance to earn some money and play against
top players. So I accepted the contract," he said.
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