April 03, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428

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LAHORE, April 2: Nearly all the Test and international cricketers have agreed to play in the ongoing Pentangular tournament to make the domestic event more competitive. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf told Dawn that as the national players were free from international assignments, they had been advised to play in the Pentangular tournament, with almost all of them responding positively.

The Pentangular tournament, the last of the 2006-07 domestic season, is the toughest competition with five teams -- Habib Bank, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Punjab, Sindh and a joint NWFP/Balochistan squad vying for top honours.

Dr Nasim said the participation of the prominent cricketers was made mandatory, adding it would also be a part of their next central contract with the PCB.

The PCB had suspended national players’ previous contracts on Saturday in the wake of their dismal performance at the 2007 World Cup and to incorporate different conditions.

Dr Nasim insisted the inclusion of leading national cricketers could make the domestic programme more attractive and fetch more money through sponsors.

He declared the PCB was ready to give major share of the sponsorship income to the district cricket associations to improve their structure.

He stated no Test fast bowler would be allowed to play the county cricket abroad though, the upcoming bowlers, he added, were exempted from this as they needed to improve their skills.

About ace pacer Mohammad Asif’s elbow injury, the PCB chief expressed that it was the result of his extensive bowling in county cricket during last summer. “Despite carrying the elbow injury from county cricket, Asif, on Pakistan’s tour to South Africa (before the World Cup), did bowl extensively, aggravating his injury which the bowler is still nursing,” he said.