“It shouldn’t matter which country they belong to. But we want to be in a position where we can sign on the best available players,” Bhattacharya told the Geo Super channel last night.

Kolkata Knight Riders recently entered into an MOU with Irfan, who is yet to play for Pakistan, after watching him bowl in a couple of practice matches in Sri Lanka. Irfan was invited to play in Sri Lanka by the KKR management on the recommendation of former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, who is on the coaching staff of the team.

The KKR CEO, however, said that although the franchise had entered into an agreement with Irfan but his participation in the fourth edition of the IPL was totally dependent on the official rules and regulations of the league.

“We have signed an MOU with Irfan but so far the IPL franchises have not been told about any policy regarding participation of Pakistani players in the IPL,” he said.

Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board felt that there were bright chances of Pakistani players finally playing again in the IPL next year because of some significant changes in the management of the IPL.

“For one, Lalit Modi is no longer on the IPL management board and he played an instrumental role in including our players names for the players auction this year and then influencing the franchises to ignore them completely,” a source said.

“With Modi no longer in power and a new set up running IPL affairs directly under the control of the Indian board, we are pretty confident this time our players will get a chance to play in the IPL. Our government is also now more responsive to sporting ties with India,” another source stated.

A number of Pakistani players took part in the IPL first season but didn’t feature in the next two editions because of strained political and diplomatic ties between the two countries. No Pakistani team or player is part of the Champions League, being held in South Africa from next month, either.

The same situation prevailed in the league when it was launched last year in India although Sialkot Stallions, led by former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, have twice won the right to represent the country in the league by virtue of being the national T20 champions.

In a scathing two-page letter written to the President, Ali argues that Butt’s administration has seen the team reduced to the status of “minnows.”

The last year has been a particularly torrid one for Pakistan, their win in the ICC World Twenty20 last year followed by a disastrous tour of Australia. Several senior players were either fined or banned by the PCB in the aftermath of that tour, though most of the punishments were overturned soon after. Currently, after beating Australia in the Headingley Test in their ongoing tour of England, they capitulated to scores of 80 and 72 in their two Tests against England which they lost comprehensively.

“The chairman and his close aides have shoddily let down your confidence in them by making a mockery of management ethics at the board,” wrote Ali, who also heads the national assembly’s standing committee on sports. The standing committees of the upper and lower houses cannot take direct action against any organisation, but they can pass on suggestions to the government.

“It is therefore recommended that a very dynamic and energetic administrator be made the chairman of the board so that the affairs of cricket in Pakistan are run professionally. (The) incompetence of Mr. Ijaz Butt has already brought enough shame for our country at international level.”

Former players like Aamer Sohail, Abdul Qadir and Iqbal Qasim held senior positions in the PCB but resigned and Ali blamed Butt for their departure. He said they quit “due to egocentric and autocratic attitude of Mr. Ijaz Butt.”

The board has also seen through five different Test captains in just over a year – Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf, Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt – and Ali said Butt and the management were responsible for such a “comedy of errors.”

Ali also alleged that the present team manager, Yawar Saeed, whom he said was close to Butt, was supporting certain “groups of players in the team, which is destroying the unity.” However, he didn’t elaborate on the players involved.

The parliamentarian reminded the president that Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and the team’s present low standing “is very painful for cricket lovers of this country”.

Butt replaced Nasim Ashraf as PCB chairman in 2008 and since then he has been severely criticised by members of standing committees of sports in both upper and lower houses of parliament.

India drew the three-match series 1-1 after registering a five-wicket win over the hosts in the final Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo on Saturday.

“Sachin, Laxman and Dravid continue to give the Indian batting line-up the ‘monstrous’ look that it has and that showed. The way Laxman batted in the third Test at P Sara Oval was really commendable. The Indian team looked like a unit,” Akram said.

“The best thing about them is that they have gelled well with the youngsters. The team’s performance is uppermost in their minds,” Akram told a website.

The 44-year-old, however, felt that the poor turnout in the series made it a rather boring experience.

“The 1-1 result was a fair result. But the wickets, the poor turnouts and the general atmosphere made it a rather boring series. Except for some personal landmarks that determined the outcome of the matches and Muralitharan’s retirement, the series was nothing much to write about,” the legendary pacer said.

Akram rejected suggestions that Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv is a good replacement for retired spin-wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.

“I am hearing a bit about Suraj Randiv. I haven’t seen him much, so I would not like to comment, but anybody who takes wickets against a strong Indian line-up, must have a lot of promise. But, for God’s sake, do not start saying he is a good replacement for Murali. 800 Test wickets is simply mind boggling,” Akram said.

India had lost the first Test at Galle by 10 wickets, while the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo had been drawn.

Meanwhile, commenting on Pakistan’s performance in the ongoing four-match Test series against England, Akram said the English conditions would present a tough challenge to the young Pakistani side, especially batsmen. “The series against England will be a stiff test for the young Pakistan team. The team struggled throughout the second Test at Birmingham,” Akram said.

He also trained his gun towards Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), planning to rope in a full-time batting coach.

“Pakistan doesn’t need a batting coach. By introducing a coach, the technique of our batsmen will not change overnight. Obviously, Pakistan’s poor show in England has inspired the PCB to mull over an exclusive batting coach. But I wonder how a coach will radically change the technique needed to negotiate a moving ball in English conditions… I don’t think a batting coach will do any good.”

Sohail said by the time Inzamam retired he had disturbed the national team and left it facing numerous problems.

“When Imran Khan retired, he left behind a pack of quality bowlers, when Javed Miandad retired he left behind a legacy of good batsmen, but when Inzamam retired he left behind nothing,” Sohail told Geo super channel.

Sohail said during Inzamam’s tenure as captain, no batsman was allowed to settle down or groomed to take over when the big guns retired.

“Good players like Yasir Hameed, Asim Kamal, Faisal Iqbal, Taufiq Umar or Hasan Reza who had done well in the chances given to them, were never allowed to settle down in the team and establish themselves,” he explained. “The result is that today we don’t have a ready line of batsmen to replace seniors. That is why I blame Inzamam for the current crisis in the team.”

Inzamam, who played 120 Tests and 398 one-day internationals, retired in 2007 after having remained captain since 2003.

Sohail also lashed out at the national selectors and the management of the team for misleading the board into believing that there was enough back up talent to replace experienced players like Muhammad Yousuf, Younus Khan or Faisal Iqbal.

“The truth is they misled the PCB Chairman into believing that he could manage the national team without Yousuf and Younus and that is why we are facing problems in England today,” Sohail said.

Butt said that since he has just taken over captaincy, it was the Cricket Board and the selectors who took the decision to call up Yousuf to the national team.

“I took over the captaincy few days back in emergency conditions. It were the selectors and team management that decided to call up Yousuf. I had no direct say in the matter. But obviously, in future, I will have my say in important decisions,” Butt told Geo Super channel from Birmingham.

Salman Butt’s claim, however, contradicted Pakistan Cricket Board’s statement yesterday stating that PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt met the tour selection committee comprising team manager, coach and captain and a decision was made on the inclusion of certain players in the squad.

“Chairman of PCB contacted Chief Selector Mohsin Khan on telephone and, after his consent, the changes were announced. Therefore, the reports alleging differences on selection are without merit,” the statement had said.

Commenting on the recall of Yousuf, Butt said that he generally felt that whenever a senior player joined the team it was beneficial for the younger players and the team. “I don’t want to get into controversies but it is a fact that whether it is Younis or Yousuf, senior players have their own role to play because of their experience,” he said.

On the prospects of Yousuf playing the second Test against England starting on Friday, the left-handed opener said this was for Yousuf to decide himself. “When he joins the team, he is the best person to judge himself whether he is physically and mentally ready for a Test comeback. He would know best what to do. We will then decide accordingly what team to play in the match.”

Butt, however, made it clear that he had a lot of faith in the young players and pointed out that they needed time to settle down in international cricket. “I have been saying that we have a good team and it has capacity to perform well. We need to work out batting and fielding issues. The bowlers have been doing well so far on the tour and that is a positive sign for us.”

“I have no problems with anyone, neither am I unhappy with anyone. My decision to retire from Tests was not an emotional one,” Afridi told the media after returning home from England.

Afridi had stunned Pakistan cricket fans when he announced his decision to retire from Tests after leading the team in the first Test against Australia at Lord’s earlier this month.

The Pakistan cricket Board had to appoint opener Salman Butt in his place as Test captain for the matches in England but Afridi said he plans to continue playing ODIs and T20s as skipper and will join the team later on in England.

“I didn’t take an emotional decision. I took it after much thought. I realised after the Test that I was not able to adjust to Test cricket, so I took the decision. I took the decision in the larger interest of the team because I didn’t want to continue playing in a form of cricket to which I was not adjusting,” Afridi said.

The flamboyant all-rounder appeared in his first Test against Australia in four years’ time and Pakistan lost by 150 runs. Afridi made it clear that he had all the support of the team behind him as a captain and senior player.

He supported the decision to elevate Salman Butt to the role of Test captain. “I think Butt is a good choice because he has now been playing for some years and has a good sense of cricket,” he said.

But Afridi cautioned his teammates to be prepared for a tough series against England that begins from Thursday at Nottingham.

“I think England would be a tougher opponent than Australia in English conditions because they have the home advantage and they are playing well at the moment,” he said.

Afridi also pointed out that Pakistan’s strength lay in its bowling. “Butt can rely on Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul because they are bowling the best I have seen them bowl for a while now,” he said.

The former Pakistan captain, who in 1992 led his country to World Cup glory, suggested axing 50-over cricket as a way of ensuring the “unprecedented” stress on pacers was eased. Imran, arguably the premier fast bowling all-rounder of his generation, made his remarks while giving the annual Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s here on Monday.

“Maybe we should eliminate 50-over cricket and just have Twenty20 cricket and Test cricket,” he said.

“I don’t believe Test cricket is the same standard as before,” added Imran, who played against the fearsome West Indies pace attack of the 1980s as well as Australia’s Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

The 57-year-old Imran, who since retiring from cricket has entered domestic politics, was at Lord’s last week to see Pakistan lose the first of their two-Test series against Australia by 150 runs. The defeat prompted Shahid Afridi to announce his retirement from Tests after just one game back as Pakistan captain.

Imran said Afridi was an example of a fine Twenty20 player who lacked the temperament for the five-day format.

“The only test of a cricketer is the Test match because his talent and technique is tested,” said Imran, the first Pakistani to deliver a lecture named after former England captain Colin Cowdrey. “In Twenty20, if you are very talented you can get away with it, but a good Twenty20 cricketer will not necessarily excel in Test cricket.”

Meanwhile, Imran said the way the international game was structured put “tremendous pressure” on bowlers.

“The stress on fast bowlers is incredible. But cricket without fast bowling is never going to be the same standard. A batsman needs to test himself against fast bowling. I saw (Australia’s) Shaun Tait bowl in the Twenty20s and I thought an alien had come in — you suddenly saw batsmen hopping about,” said the Pakistani great.

Imran, who led the call for ‘neutral’ umpires, said the standard of officiating at international level had improved greatly since his playing days and he insisted this would only get better with the increased use of technology.

“The spirit of the game suffered while I was playing. There was a lot of acrimony in the games and when India played against Pakistan, it deteriorated to depths you cannot imagine. Neutral umpires have changed everything, technology has eliminated so many of the controversies and results are much fairer now. I think it should improve further with the use of (more) technology,” he said.

Afridi made the announcement moments after leading Pakistan to a 150-run defeat by Australia in the first Test at Lord’s here on Friday. The batsman, who was out slogging for 2 on Friday, said he doesn’t have the temperament for the five-day game and that as he decided to quit tests as soon as he was dismissed in the second innings.

“I’ve not been fully fit with a side strain and so I will not play Test cricket after the match in Leeds,” Afridi said.

“I did the wrong thing,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special when asked about his decision to return to Test cricket after concentrating on one-dayers and Twenty20s in recent years. “I think my temperament is not good enough for Test cricket and I am struggling with a side injury. I think maybe the next Test will be my last. The Pakistan Cricket Board asked me to play Test cricket, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“With my temperament I can’t play Test cricket,” Afridi said. “It would be better if a youngster comes in my place, probably a genuine batsman or even a genuine bowler. I picked up a side injury during the Asia Cup and unless you are 100 percent fit you can’t perform in Test cricket.”

“I wasn’t interested in playing Test cricket but the board asked me to go and take a look as they didn’t have a choice. So I took up the responsibility. They asked me to take a chance and may be I would enjoy it. But I wasn’t really enjoying Test cricket, still I tried. I wasn’t good enough. A captain should lead by example which I did not. And if I play the way I played in this match it is better to leave,” he said.

Afridi’s announcement meant that Pakistan, who are set to promote vice-captain Salman Butt, were preparing for their sixth Test captain in three years.

Since Inzamam-ul-Haq retired in 2007, Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Afridi have all led Pakistan, infamous for their instability, in the five-day format. By contrast, Australia have had just four regular Test captains in 25 years – Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and current skipper Ricky Ponting.

A perplexed Ponting told reporters, “I don’t know exactly what has happened. Funny things happen around the Pakistan side.”

Afridi was parachuted into the leadership after Yousuf and Younus were both omitted from the squad for this tour following bans imposed in the wake of Pakistan’s 3-0 series loss in Australia earlier this year. Afridi slogged what was just his fourth ball, from part-time off-spinner Marcus North — who finished with a Test-best six wickets for 55 runs – and was caught on the boundary on Friday. Afterwards Afridi, nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’ for his hard-hitting approach to batting, told a news conference it had been an irresponsible shot.

“The captain should be an example for the youngsters but that was not an example. I was in two minds whether to play my natural game or whether to take my time,” added Afridi, who captained Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title at Lord’s in 2009. “You can say I was weak mentally…I’m not good enough for Test cricket.”

Asked when he decided to quit Test cricket, Afridi replied bluntly,”When I got out.”

After the Australia series, Pakistan stay in Britain for four Tests against England and Afridi said opener Butt, who top-scored in both Pakistan innings at Lord’s with 63 and 92, should take over the captaincy. “Salman is showing his maturity. He’s good enough to take over this team as captain.”

Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan tour manager, told AFP later in the day, “Yes, he (Afridi) has told us he is not feeling comfortable with the injury and has told us he doesn’t want to play (Tests) but we will talk to him and then decide.”

But Pakistan coach Waqar Younis appeared to have already accepted Afridi’s decision to call time on his Test career. “He believes that he can’t (go on) and it’s hard to pressure him,” the former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar told Sky Sports. “It was tough out there and he couldn’t really manage it and that’s one big reason for this.”

However, Waqar said he hoped Afridi would continue in limited overs cricket. “He will look only to play one-day and T20 cricket now,” Waqar said. “For sure he will come back for that and probably as captain. We really hope he will come back for that.”

The 30-year-old Afridi has played 27 Tests since making his debut against Australia in Karachi in 1998, scoring 1,716 runs at an average of 36.51, with five hundreds and a best of 156 against India in Faisalabad in 2006. He has also taken 48 Test wickets with his leg-breaks.

Explaining the reason behind not picking Younus, a decision that had caused surprise in the cricketing circle, Mohsin said that PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt didn’t give clearance for Younus’s selection.

“Normally if a player is unfit, the PCB medical board gives the selection committee clearance for him and if a player has disciplinary issues then the PCB Chairman gives clearance which we didn’t get in case of Younus,” the former Test opener said.

Mohsin’s statement is likely to cause more bitterness and controversy as the appeals commissioner of the board, Justice (retd) Irfan Qadir had earlier this month lifted an indefinite ban on Younus Khan. The ban was imposed by the board on disciplinary grounds in March when it banned and fined a total of seven players for misconduct on the tour to Australia early this year.

Former captain Shoaib Malik was also banned for 12 months and fined two million rupees but after his ban was removed by the commissioner, he was picked for the ongoing Asia Cup tournament in Sri Lanka. “The appeals commissioner is due to hear the appeal of all-rounder Rana Naved against his ban and fine later this week,” a source said.

Sources said that Ijaz Butt was unhappy with Younus for the way he had approached the ban issue and for the scathing remarks made by his lawyer against the board and Butt during the hearing process.

“It is a case of pure personal liking and disliking. If the board can select Shoaib Malik who was accused of intrigue and creating disharmony in the team when he was banned, why can’t Younus be selected as he remains a honest and upright person,” former Test player, Basit Ali said.

Younus himself has declined to comment on his exclusion which many former players believe could prove to be a big problem for Pakistan, given the brittle nature of the batting. Mohsin also made it clear that he had picked the squad for England tour after consulting the captain and coach and it was a collective decision.

The Chairman of the National Assembly standing committee on sports, Muhammad Iqbal Khan said he would be speaking to Mohsin Khan and Ijaz Butt to find out on what grounds they had not picked Younus for the important tour.

“Why is only Younus being victimised when the other players who were banned or fined have been selected. We want to know and we will also bring this up to the notice of the chief patron of the board, President Asif Ali Zardari,” he said.

Younus, who is presently in England playing for county team Surrey, was available for selection after having the ban removed by the appeal’s commissioner of the Pakistan Cricket Board, but sources said PCB chief Ijaz Butt had refused to give clearance for his inclusion.

“Butt is not happy with Younus mainly because the former captain first refused to apologise for some statements made by his lawyer during the hearing of his appeal and also because Younus has, from the day he was banned, criticised the Board for its decision,” one source said.

Butt had said before leaving for Sri Lanka that Younus’ selection was not final as he had yet to get clearance from the governing council of the Board and from him to be eligible for selection after the removal of the ban. Butt had also inferred that Younus was not in form although the former captain in recent weeks has been among the runs for Surrey.

The PCB also dropped fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for the Tests in England but provided some relief by including him in the 15-member squad for the T20 Internationals against Australia and England.

Young batsman Faisal Iqbal was another surprising omission from the 17-member Test squad despite having done satisfactorily on the last Test tour to New Zealand and Australia.

The Board and team management took a big gamble while announcing the squads from Dambulla as several new faces have been included in the side.

The selectors have recalled Yasir Hameed, a stylish right-handed batsman who has not played international cricket since late 2007. Umar Gul, who has recovered from a knee injury, has also been recalled.

Gul, who missed the T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup due to his injury, has been picked in both the squads while Yasir is picked in the Test side.

The uncapped players in the Test squad include batsmen Umar Amin, Azhar Ali, pace bowlers Wahab Riaz and Tanvir Ahmed and reserve wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider.

Test squad: Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Umar Amin, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Zulqarnain Haider, Muhammad Asif, Umar Gul, Muhammad Aamer, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal.

T20 squad: Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Muhammad Aamir, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Rehman and Fawad Alam.