ICL stands for Indian Confused League: Asif Iqbal

Dubai, Aug 26 (UNI) The Indian Cricket League (ICL) has got another misnomer to its credit, with former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal terming it ''Indian Confused League'' for its signing binge and vague planning for the proposed tournament.

''Initially, they said they will organise a Twenty20 tournament, now they have said they may stage even three-day matches. Right now they are an Indian Confused League,'' said Iqbal.

Pointing out a lack of clarity in the vision of the Essel Group promoted league, Iqbal said, ''The ICL should come out with a clear plan and not just go on signing up players. They should reveal their full programme and announce what they are going to do.'' The 64-year-old all-rounder also feels that the multi-million dollar league was the outcome of the feud between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Zee group, adding that losing players to the 'rebel' venture won't affect the national teams.

''ICL is nothing but the product of a battle between the BCCI and Zee television. The cricket boards of other countries should not be affected by it and go on to ban its players who may play in the ICL,'' Iqbal told 'The Gulf News'.

He also said ICL has no comparision with the Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket held between 1977 and 1979 in Australia as it is nowhere near Packer's venture.

''The ICL should never be compared to the Kerry Packer series.

The Packer World Series was a cricket revolution. It changed the face of cricket and we are even now reaping the rewards of that fantastic revolution,'' Iqbal opined.

However, he came out in support of the ICL recruits, saying players willing to play in the breakaway league should not be deprived of their right to represent their national team if found eligible.

''No cricket board should ban a player if he is eligible and available to play for his country. The ICL may not be an official cricket series but the players will be playing cricket and no cricketer should be banned for having played the game,'' he said.

Citing the example of county cricket in England, Iqbal said ''Most cricket boards allow their players to play for English County teams. The boards should take a similar stance if some of their players opt to play for ICL.'' Interestingly, Asif Iqbal himself, along with team-mate Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Majid Khan, Haroon Rashid, Sarfraz Nawaz and Taslim Arif played for the Rest of the World team in the Packer series.

UNI