Pakistan to decide Inzamam’s future

KARACHI – Pakistani cricket chiefs said yesterday that they will make a decision on the fate of Inzamam-ul Haq in the next few days after the former skipper said he wanted to keep playing.

Inzamam announced his retirement from one-day internationals and resigned the Test and one-day captaincy following Pakistan’s humiliating first-round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies in March. The 37-year-old master batsman, who has scored 8,813 runs in 119 Tests, ruled himself out of the ongoing first Test against South Africa in Karachi this week without giving a reason.Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf “has clearly stated that all policy decisions regarding Inzamam will be announced in the next couple of days which will be in the larger interest of the game,” a board statement said.The statement denied media reports that the PCB and Inzamam have struck a deal for the former captain to get a golden handshake of around 150 000 US dollars to retire from Test cricket.”The newspaper report that the PCB has carried out a deal with Inzamam by assuring him a guaranteed sum of 10 million rupees for his retirement from Test cricket, is absolutely incorrect,” it said.Inzamam said in an interview published in the Urdu-language Express newspaper on Wednesday that he had informed Pakistani selectors about his availability for the second Test in Lahore starting from October 8.”I am fully fit and have no plans to retire,” said Inzamam.”I don’t want to leave the game,” he said.”I want to play as long as I am fit and can perform.”Inzamam needs just 20 runs to beat Javed Miandad’s Pakistan Test record of 8 832 runs.”I have informed the selectors that I am available to play the Lahore Test and now it’s up to them to select me or not,” said Inzamam, who played for the English county Yorkshire on a short-term basis last month.Nampa-AFPThe 37-year-old master batsman, who has scored 8,813 runs in 119 Tests, ruled himself out of the ongoing first Test against South Africa in Karachi this week without giving a reason.Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf “has clearly stated that all policy decisions regarding Inzamam will be announced in the next couple of days which will be in the larger interest of the game,” a board statement said.The statement denied media reports that the PCB and Inzamam have struck a deal for the former captain to get a golden handshake of around 150 000 US dollars to retire from Test cricket.”The newspaper report that the PCB has carried out a deal with Inzamam by assuring him a guaranteed sum of 10 million rupees for his retirement from Test cricket, is absolutely incorrect,” it said.Inzamam said in an interview published in the Urdu-language Express newspaper on Wednesday that he had informed Pakistani selectors about his availability for the second Test in Lahore starting from October 8.”I am fully fit and have no plans to retire,” said Inzamam.”I don’t want to leave the game,” he said.”I want to play as long as I am fit and can perform.”Inzamam needs just 20 runs to beat Javed Miandad’s Pakistan Test record of 8 832 runs.”I have informed the selectors that I am available to play the Lahore Test and now it’s up to them to select me or not,” said Inzamam, who played for the English county Yorkshire on a short-term basis last month.Nampa-AFP