Home | Sport | Cricket
Pakistani cricketer Imran Farhat has criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board for neglecting him and not utilising his services enough. He stated this as the prime reason for his joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). "I wanted to play and I was continuously being overlooked by the selectors so I decided to join ICL. And now I have an opportunity to play cricket again with international cricketers, which was not happening for me back in Pakistan," said the gifted left hand opening batsman. Farhat was earlier served a legal notice by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for joining ICL as he was still holding a PCB contract. He was released on his request after which he signed the ICL contract . Realising his potential, PCB did try to allure him to make him stay back, but in vain. "They tried every thing. I was promised a place in the national side and they assured me a chance in the official Indian Premier league (IPL), which will kick off next year. But for that I was asked to cancel my ICL contract, which I didnot want to do," said Imran. With this decision firm on joining ICL, Imran has virtually closed doors of making a comeback in the Pakistan team, though he expressed hope of a recall considering the way PCB is being run over the year. "You never know whats going to happen next in Pakistan cricket, its so volatile. When new set of administrators take charge in near future, who knows I might get a call," said Farhat, who made his ODI and Test debut against New Zealand in 2001. Its not only cricket but also big buck which has made this 25-year-old batsman put his international career at stake and join ICL. "As cricket is my bread and butter I have to play cricket to earn money. I am not getting to play for Pakistan so I have to play somewhere to make a living". Further, he added that the money he was getting from ICL was really good and it was much more than what he could earn playing back home." On ICL, he said, "Seeing the success of Twenty20 format I think ICL will be a success. Moreover, it's a perfect platform where you can display you talent. It will be a great opportunity for those players who never got a chance to play at this level". Imran Farhat has been awarded a three-year contract.
Article Source: http://www.resourceschool.com
Vinod Kumar is a sports journalist who has been of late following Indian Cricket League and has been interviewing cricketers who joined this league. This article was Published in HT
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
# of Ratings = 2 | Rating = 5/5
