By Omar Khalid,IANS,
Karachi: Pakistan have made a special request for including seasoned all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in their 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 as a replacement for Yasir Arafat, who is down with a hamstring injury.
Sources in the Pakistan camp told IANS Wednesday that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in a bid to get Razzaq included in its touring party for England ahead of the team’s Super Eight game against Sri Lanka June 12.
According to the sources, the ICC has sent the matter to the World Twenty technical committee and it is expected that an announcement will made soon by the game’s governing body.
Razzaq was banned by Pakistan after he joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). The all-rounder resigned from the unofficial Twenty20 league last month.
Pakistan had included Razzaq in its provisional 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 on condition of clearance from the ICC. Later it withdrew Razzaq and two other former ICL players – Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Imran Nazir – from the preliminary squad.
Last month, the PCB waived the “cooling period” for the Razzaq, meaning he was available for national duty.
Razzaq had a long spell with the ICL, joining the league in 2007 after he was excluded from the World Twenty20 squad the same year. He was one of the key players for the Hyderabad Heroes in their title win in 2008.