Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq arrived on Friday to play in the Bangladesh Premier League for Duranto Rajshahi but insisted he will go back if the Pakistan Cricket Board wants him to do so.
The franchise presented him in front of the media in order to prove that the Pakistani players are coming to the BPL despite the PCB issuing an indirect threat that it might not allow them to play in the BPL after Bangladesh refused to tour their country.
Razzaq’s arrival was a kind of relief for Duranto and the BPL itself, but it was all gone once the player refused to go against the PCB decision, which he feared would cut short his international career.
‘As a player, I still have one-two years left in my international career and I want take my opportunity whenever I get, so I will never go against the PCB,’ Razzaq told reporters at Mirpur.
‘However, I have not heard anything from the Pakistan Cricket Board still about whether they will bar the Pakistani players from participating in the tournament or not.
‘I spoke to some of the Pakistani players and they all
said their decision lies with the PCB. Pakistan are going to South Africa and that might be an issue,’ he said.
Razzaq, however said that he does not require any no-objection certificate from the PCB as he is not contracted with them. All he needs is an NOC from his domestic side Zarai Taraqiati Bank and he said he has it with him.
‘Before the tournament I asked for an NOC from the PCB but they said since you are not in the central contract we cannot provide you with this. I asked
my Bank and they have given it to me,’ said Razzaq.
‘But I guess the players who are in the central contract they must obtain it from the PCB,’ said Razzaq.
Of the Pakistani players sold at the BPL auction, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal and Hammad Azam are under central contract.
Razzaq was scheduled to arrive on Thursday but due to dense fog his flight was delayed twice. He also had to stay at the airport for nearly three hours as he had arrived without any visa.
-With New Age input
