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The controversy surrounding the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that has roped in four of the Pakistani players has not disturbed their team-mates currently preparing for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, a team official said on Friday.

Pakistan manager Talat Ali told ‘The News’ that his players have moved on after initially getting excited about all the happenings related to the rebel ICL adding that ‘nobody in the Pakistan camp even talks about the league anymore’.

“The ICL could have been an issue for my players may be till a few days back but now nobody even talks about it. It is already history for them,” said Talat, a former Pakistan Test cricketer.

Four of Pakistani Test players including their former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf defied the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by signing up for the breakaway ICL in spite of clear warnings from the Board chairman Nasim Ashraf that any player opting for the League will be banned for life. Experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and discarded Test opener Imran Farhat were the other two players who have joined the ICL by signing lucrative deals.

Three more Pakistani players — former captain Younis Khan, current captain Shoaib Malik and pace star Shoaib Akhtar — were also contacted by the ICL organisers but the trio turned down the offers and instead decided to focus on their international career with Pakistan.

“Whether we liked it or not, the ICL became an issue for us but just for a while,” said Talat. ìNow the dust has settled and we know about the players who will be going there for the League and we have already started to think beyond them,î he added.

The Pakistan manager was confident that neither of his other charges will follow suit. “The players who wanted to go have gone and I’m sure they will be the only ones from Pakistan to take that option.”

Talat said that his players are now totally focused on the T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa from September 11-24. “The players are deeply committed to getting fully ready for the Twenty20 World Cup and we are confident that the team will be going to South Africa fully prepared.”

He said that the players are showing a lot of zeal while training with new coach Geoff Lawson at a preparatory camp under progress in Lahore. “The players are really happy working with their new coach,” he said adding that Lawson is opting for long hours at the camp but none of the players are complaining about it.

Pakistan are to leave for Kenya for a quadrangular T20 event in Nairobi involving hosts Kenya, Bangladesh and minnows Uganda. The event will help Pakistan warm up for the inaugural T20 World Cup where they meet old rivals India and underdogs Scotland in the league stages of the contest.

Source:Cricket News