Playing in ICL cannot be a crime, Inzi tells PCB

Lashing out at the PCB for banning the rebel cricketers from playing in domestic tournaments, Inzamam said nothing can prevent the players from representing their respective departments in Pakistan’s domestic cricket.

“Have the players, including myself, who played in the ICL committed a crime? How can the board stop us from earning our livelihood? They have no authority to tell departments what to do,” Inzamam, who returned home after performing Haj the other day, said.

He also urged the departments to stand up and reject the PCB dictates so that the players could participate in domestic tournaments.

“I can understand the board taking action against players who have contracts with them. But neither myself, nor Imran Farhat, Shabbir Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood or Abdul Razzaq are contracted to them. So how can they stop us from playing domestic cricket?” he asked.

Inzamam said if needed, he would move the court to plead the case of the rebel players, who were being restrained from plying their trade -- something not allowed under any international or national law.

Inzamam felt the way PCB was behaving, some more Pakistani players might sign up for the ICL out of frustration and anger.

The former captain also took a dig at Pakistan team manager Talat Ali, holding him responsible for the team’s poor performances in India.

“We lost because the players were not focused and because the manager failed to maintain proper discipline. I was in India when the team was playing there and the newspapers and channels were full of the off-the-field activities of our players,” he said.