Cleared by court but Yousuf stays away from domestic cricket

Pakistan's senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who is affiliated with the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League, is staying away from the domestic circuit despite being cleared by the Sindh High Court recently.

Yousuf didn't appear for any team in the final round of the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam cricket tournament although eight matches were held at different venues.

Senior all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was another player, who was cleared for the domestic cricket by court, but chose to give the tournament a miss.

However, some of the ICL players including Rana Naved, Imran Farhat, Hasan Raza, Riaz Afridi and Naved Latif played for their respective teams.

The Sindh High Court recently suspended a ban imposed on the ICL participants by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The verdict came after 17 players challenged the ban on legal grounds.

"No one knows why Yousuf didn't play in the final round although the cricketer himself has admitted that he has not touched a bat since November," one source said. Yousuf, before opting for the ICL, has led the Lahore team in domestic tournaments and has also represented Wapda.

Yousuf has repeatedly called on the chief patron of PCB, President Asif Ali Zardari to intervene into the matter and convince the board to allow the ICL players in international and domestic cricket.

The PCB recently told Yousuf that if he snap all the ties with the ICL, he would immediately be considered for Pakistan team and also get a new central contract.