Yusuf blames 'shabby treatment' for joining ICL

Lahore, Nov 18 (UNI) Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf has stated that he did not join the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) for money but was forced to do so by the shabby treatment meted out to the senior players in the Pakistan squad.

''I could make a lot more money playing for Pakistan than the ICL. It was about respect. I played for Pakistan for almost ten years and always gave my best. But still I was treated shabbily by the former officials of the board and the captain,'' Yousuf, who returned to Pakistan yesterday after playing in the ICL, said.

''Playing for Pakistan will always be my first preference. I believe that the PCB should lift the ban on ICL players because not even the ICC has banned the league,'' he added.

He lashed out at Shoaib Malik, claiming that the Pakistan captain lied when he said he showed no disrespect to any senior player.

'I was surprised to hear that he (Malik) claims that he has never been disrespectful towards me or any senior players. That's a news to me. I believe that a captain should take senior players along but he (Malik) never did that,'' Yousuf told mediapersons.

Yusuf also lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who has banned him for his association with the rebel T20 tournament and asserted that it is the national squad which will suffer because of the board's decision.

''I am Pakistan's leading batsman for quite sometime and they don't have anybody to replace me. It's Pakistan which will suffer without me. People who have done this with me do not care about national interest. They care about their own selfish motives,'' he fumed.

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