DUBAI: Organisers of the T-10 League have incorporated names of Pakistani players for drafting despite apprehensions expressed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on credibility of the 10-over format of the game.
ARY News correspondent Shahid Hashmi said new Pakistan cricket chief Ehsan Mani has clearly stated that Pakistani players would not be allowed to play the league until he got a satisfactory reply from the ICC on his reservations.
“What’s the credibility of the league? Who are the organisers and from where they are generating the capital? are the questions being mulled over. There’s an investigation going on in India about the sponsors of the league,” he said talking to ARY News.
Shahid Hashmi said Indian media was also debating on the league’s controversial status.
The drafting of T-10 League is going to be held on Monday, the same day an International Cricket Council (ICC) press conference would raise questions on credibility of the league, ARY News correspondent Shahid Hashmi said.
Expressing reservations, Ehsan Mani said on Saturday his board would review their stance on global leagues including T-10 and seek assurances from the game´s governing body.
The PCB earlier this year restricted its players´ participation to one league other than their own Pakistan Super League to reduce their workload.
Last year, PCB released 10 of its highest-paid contracted players to participate in the T10 league, held in Sharjah, including the current captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir.
But Mani, speaking at the Asia Cup, said his board will seek assurances from the ICC in this regard.
“I didn´t understand the rationale on what basis we committed our players for the leagues,” Mani told reporters. “The main criteria, which I understand, was that how much money PCB gets and how much players will get.
“But they (the previous set up of the PCB) did not look at the players´ workload. So I will examine all the leagues in which Pakistan players participates.
“We need to do the due diligence in whichever leagues we are participating whether they are credible or not.”
Mani said he has asked the ICC to give assurance of the fairness of the leagues.
“I am holding back my position (on T10) until I get full satisfaction… so I have requested the ICC to look into it again.
“I need assurances from the ICC because they have sanctioned it.”
The lucrative Indian Premier League was rocked in 2013 over match-fixing allegations, resulting in a two-year ban on two franchises and a life ban on international player Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
The same year Bangladesh Premier League was hit by fixing scandal, with seven players charged.
