Pak selectors unhappy with Malik playing in Bangla league

Karachi, Feb 4 (PTI) The decision of former Pakistancaptains, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf to go and play inthe Bangladesh during the ongoing domestic cricket season hasnot impressed the national selectors at all.

Sources close to the selectors said they were surprisedthat at a time when the two should be fighting hard to winback their places in the national team, they had preferred togo and play in the Bangladesh cricket league instead ofrepresenting their teams in domestic cricket.

Malik was not cleared for selection by the integritycommittee of the Pakistan Cricket Board while Yousuf wasoverlooked for selection for the tour to New Zealand and forthe World Cup because of suspected fitness problems.

One source said that the selectors would speak to theboard about Malik going to Bangladesh while the nationalone-day championship was in progress and his team PIA was alsotaking part in it.

Interestingly, Malik was given permission by the board togo and play in Bangladesh after initially the PCB had rejectedhis application for the same.

But the source close to the selectors said that this wasan issue that the players had to think about themselves.

"Why think about going to Bangladesh in the first placewhen the domestic season is on and any performances will counttowards either of them making a comeback to the nationalteam?" the source questioned.

The source noted that Yousuf had gone to play inBangladesh league while the process for finalizing the WorldCup squad was still on.

"His preference to play in Bangladesh rather than indomestic cricket at that time may have gone against him," thesource added.

"Yousuf''s decision to play in Bangladesh at that timeleft the selectors feeling he was giving more preference tomoney rather than to fighting to make a comeback to thenational team."

Yousuf one of Pakistan''s most celebrated and seniorplayers was also banned banned and fined in a domestic one-daymatch recently for leaving the match early and violating thedress code of the PCB.

But sources close to the players claim that they had lostfaith in the selectors.

"Look Malik played diligently in the Quaid-e-Azam trophyfor PIA and also in the final and was a top performer in thecompetition yet he was overlooked because the board didn''tgive him clearance. So why shouldn''t he go now and make someextra money in the BD league," one source said.

Similarly another source close to Yousuf said that theformer captain felt dejected that despite scoring runs in thenational one-day championship close to the World Cup selectionhe was overlooked without any explanation.