Pakistan’s discarded Test opener Imran Farhat on Tuesday vowed to fight a legal notice served on him by the PCB for signing up with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday served the notice on Farhat, charging him with violating his central contract by joining the multi-million dollar series to be held in October.
Farhat has been asked to reply within a week.
“I don’t understand this notice. On one hand the board Chairman is trying to convince me to leave the ICL and assuring me of a future in Pakistan cricket and on other hand I get this notice,” Farhat said.
“I will stand by what I have said. Secondly, I had asked them in writing to be released from the central contract and waited for a while before signing up for the ICL.
“And if they claim I am still a contracted player with them than why has my name been removed from the list of contracted players on the board’s official website. They even asked me to return the official mobile phone given to me by the board,” he added.
The PCB has also charged Farhat with making defamatory statements against some board officials and selectors.
“He has violated several clauses of his central contract and the board can take legal action against him. If we are not satisfied with his reply we can take him to court or initiate inhouse disciplinary proceedings against him. We will decide later on,” a board official said.
Farhat had claimed that there had been nepotism in the selection of the team for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa starting next week.
The opener said he saw the legal notice as a move to scare him into backing out of his stand.
“I have lot of ground to substantiate my allegations and my lawyer will send them a reply in the given time period of seven days,” he said.
The left-hander has been at loggerheads with the board since early this year and was fined half his match fees and given a strong reprimand for arguing with the selectors in April.
But Farhat has insisted that he was being targeted unfairly.
“I joined the ICL because I was not sure of my future in Pakistan cricket. I am a professional and have a family to look after. I have to earn my livelihood from the game that is what I know,” he said.
Besides Farhat, former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq have also signed for the ICL.