Pakistan in fury after IPL auction ignores Pakistanis (Lead)
January 19th, 2010 - 9:20 pm ICT by IANSIslamabad, Jan 19 (IANS) Pakistan erupted in fury Tuesday after none of its 11 cricketers fielded for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction were picked up, with Sports Minister Ejaz Jhakhrani hitting out at India for the fiasco.
Disappointed Pakistani players and a section of the country’s political establishment called it a “conspiracy” by India to keep out the Pakistanis from the cash-rich tournament.
Contending that Pakistani cricketers were the “best in the world”, minister Jhakhrani said: “It looks like a conspiracy by India to give such treatment to our stars.”
He said the failure to pick up any Pakistani player in the IPL auction, although Pakistan are the World Twenty20 champions, was “hugely disappointing”.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports charged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with negligence and asked it to explain how and why Pakistani players were ignored at the auction in Mumbai.
Committee chairman Jamshed Dasti said the PCB was the main culprit, because of whose negligence the Pakistani cricketers had “missed a golden opportunity”.
Pakistani players were unforgiving.
“I am very disappointed,” said all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. “This is a conspiracy to malign us… It was their plan.”
Ace batsman Shahid Afridi added: “The way I see it the IPL and India have made fun of Pakistan and our players.”
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Tags: abdul razzaq, afridi, committee chairman, conspiracy, culprit, dasti, ejaz, fiasco, golden opportunity, jan 19, mumbai, national assembly, negligence, pakistan cricket board, pakistan cricket board pcb, pakistani cricketers, pakistanis, political establishment, premier league, standing committee