Star batsman Mohammad Yousuf on Wednesday said he was still keen to play for Pakistan despite signing up with a rebel Twenty20 league in India.
Yousuf, 34, was set to stage a comeback for Pakistan in next week's three matches against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi after missing a Twenty20 event in Canada last month because of visa problems.
His name featured in the 15-man squad announced on Monday, but shortly afterwards it was revealed that he had signed for the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Yousuf, sporting a skull cap and traditional kurta-pyjama, said at a press conference here.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a strict policy of banning all players who have joined the unofficial ICL, which is backed by India's largest media group, Zee television.
About 15 Pakistani players, including former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, joined the league last year and were barred from playing international and national cricket by the PCB.
Yousuf, whose 1,788 runs in 2006 is a calendar-year record, previously signed a contract with the ICL after he was omitted from Pakistan's Twenty20 World Cup squad in September last year.
But the PCB later convinced him to tear up the contract and instead sign with the official Indian Premier League (IPL).
The ICL filed a legal case against Yousuf in Mumbai for breach of contract while the IPL also threatened to take him to court.
ICL business head Himanshu Mody said they had dropped the case against Yousuf.
He also claimed that the IPL could not take Yousuf to court because the batsman had not inked any deal with them.
Mody said.
Yousuf, part of the Lahore Badshah team, will make his ICL debut in western Ahmedabad on Saturday with a match against Dhaka Warriors, which comprises players from Bangladesh.
Yousuf, 34, was set to stage a comeback for Pakistan in next week's three matches against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi after missing a Twenty20 event in Canada last month because of visa problems.
His name featured in the 15-man squad announced on Monday, but shortly afterwards it was revealed that he had signed for the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
"I had a misunderstanding with the ICL. Now that has been sorted out and I will play for them,"
"But I still want to play for my country. This matter is in the hands of the (Pakistan) board, if I get a call-up, I will definitely represent the country."
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a strict policy of banning all players who have joined the unofficial ICL, which is backed by India's largest media group, Zee television.
About 15 Pakistani players, including former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, joined the league last year and were barred from playing international and national cricket by the PCB.
Yousuf, whose 1,788 runs in 2006 is a calendar-year record, previously signed a contract with the ICL after he was omitted from Pakistan's Twenty20 World Cup squad in September last year.
But the PCB later convinced him to tear up the contract and instead sign with the official Indian Premier League (IPL).
The ICL filed a legal case against Yousuf in Mumbai for breach of contract while the IPL also threatened to take him to court.
ICL business head Himanshu Mody said they had dropped the case against Yousuf.
Mody said."We have settled the case with Yousuf. We have signed him for a three-year deal,"
He also claimed that the IPL could not take Yousuf to court because the batsman had not inked any deal with them.
"Yousuf has not taken any money from the IPL. There was no agreement between the two, so the IPL cannot take any action against him. However, if something does come up, we will stand by Yousuf,"
Yousuf, part of the Lahore Badshah team, will make his ICL debut in western Ahmedabad on Saturday with a match against Dhaka Warriors, which comprises players from Bangladesh.
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