July 30, 2007	Monday	Rajab 14, 1428

KARACHI, July 29: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has been approached to play in the unofficial Indian cricket league to be launched this year.

“I have been asked by the organisers to play in the league. I'm discussing the terms and conditions with them and if they're right I will certainly play,” Inzamam said on Sunday.

Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara will come out of retirement to play in the league while Australian bowling greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are on the verge of signing a deal, the league organisers have said.

Lara is set to captain one of the teams in the league being launched by India's Essel Group, which controls the country's biggest listed media firm Zee Telefilms.

They launched the Twenty20 league in May to stage an annual tournament featuring foreign players and some current India players.

India's cricket board has refused to endorse the Indian Cricket League and warned its state affiliates and home players of sanctions if they are associated with it.

Inzamam, 37, said he was excited about the prospects of playing in the league, which he said would be beneficial to Indian cricket.

“The youngsters can only learn from playing alongside great players like Lara, Warne or McGrath. I don't know why the officialdom has cold feet about this league,” he said.

Inzamam relinquished the Pakistan captaincy and retired from One-day Internationals after his team was eliminated in the first round of the World Cup in March.

He has, however, vowed to continue playing Test cricket.

Inzamam believed the Indian board and officials were not in favour of the league because of its long term repercussions.

“Basically, they're worried that if the organisers sign on top players and pay them good money then in future other players would demand the same sort of payments from the cricket boards.

“The same thing happened when Kerry Packer launched his cricket league (in Australia in the 1970s),” said Inzamam.

“At the moment there are a lot of players who feel their boards don't pay them enough of the money they make.”

Inzamam, who has appeared in 109 Tests and 378 One-day Internationals, said he wanted to continue playing Test cricket because his ambition was to score 10,000 Test runs.

“I will continue to play Tests as long as I'm fit and in form. My ambition remains to make 10,000 Test runs,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ICL seems set to take Sri Lankan cricket by storm with several top players approached to join the lucrative series, sources said in Colombo on Sunday.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources said several players were privately approached by agents during the recent series here with Bangladesh but that the SLC would not allow any contracted players to join the rebel league.

“If they go ahead and join the league the result would be similar to the 1982 rebel tour to South Africa,” an SLC source said.

Fourteen Sri Lankan cricketers led by Bandula Warnapura were banned for 25 years in 1982 for taking part in the South African series.

But press reports here said that the recently retired Russel Arnold has accepted the offer and is negotiating with the ICL.

Arnold, currently overseas, was not available for comment.

At least two other Sri Lankan star players have been offered contracts ranging from $500,000 to $600,000 for each of the three years in the playing contract, a huge jump from their Sri Lankan contracts.—Agencies