By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram feels International Cricket Council (ICC) will eventually give official status to the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL).
“The ICC should sanction ICL and I believe it will do that sooner than later,” the former Pakistan captain told reporters here Saturday.
Akram pointed out that the current ICL season has attracted some well-known cricketers, especially from Pakistan, and the league’s matches are attracting huge crowds.
“The sort of cricket that is being played in the ICL and the huge crowds its matches are attracting is a proof that the ICL will eventually get recognition,” said Akram.
Akram said some of the Pakistani cricketers playing in the league are still good for the national duty. “Players like Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami can still play for Pakistan,” he said.
Akram said Pakistan will suffer a lot after banning its premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who joined the ICL recently. “Yousuf is a great batsman and Pakistan will miss him once it starts playing the big games,” he said.
Akram also spoke on the question mark hanging over India’s visit to Pakistan, saying that the series between the two countries is a very important one, especially for Pakistan.
There have been reports that India might decide to cancel the tour because of security concerns.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has conceded that it might happen in a ‘worst case scenario’ and says that it is open to the idea of hosting the series at neutral venues. However, such an idea has attracted negative response from critics and several former Test cricketers.
But Akram said Pakistan should keep its options open. “We cannot live in complete isolation,” he said. “If teams are forced to stay away from Pakistan because of security fears, then playing on offshore venues would be the only option and we will have to take it.”