LAHORE, March 6: Paceman Mohammad Sami and all-rounder Yasir Arafat left for the West Indies to join the Pakistan squad before the start of the 2007 World Cup.

The duo replaced injured pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

Sami left on Monday night without waiting for the formal approval of the ICC for the replacement, which was received on Tuesday. Yasir departed on Tuesday after his dope test results came in negative.

A PCB official said Sami left as the ICC permission was needed only for playing and not for travelling. “We were hoping for the ICC's permission, therefore, we sent Sami to the West Indies on Monday night, without getting permission,” PCB Director Cricket Operations Saleem Altaf said.