Ijaz Ahmed being taken away by the police —AP

LAHORE Former Pakistan batsman and former member of the Pakistan Cricket Board`s national selection committee, Ijaz Ahmed was arrested in Lahore on Thursday.

Police officials at the Gulberg police said two property dealers had filed a complaint against Ijaz, 40, for issuing them cheques that had bounced.

The value of the cheques is put at 11 million rupees.

`They have filed a forgery case against Ijaz who is under arrest now,` police official Rana Jabbar said.

`We have arrested him today,` Jabbar told The Associated Press. `Ijaz had got bail from the court, but it expired Thursday and we arrested him.`

Pakistan`s former test captain Salim Malik, the brother-in-law of Ahmed, denied that his relative had committed any wrongdoing.

`The truth is that these property dealers owe money to Ijaz and they have registered a false case against him,` Malik said.

Ijaz Ahmed was one Pakistan`s most prolific middle-order batsmen and an exceptional fielder. He played 60 Test matches and 250 one-day internationals for Pakistan.

Currently working as a fielding coach at the PCB`s National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, Ahmed was also temporarily made a member of the national selection committee but was later left out when the new, permanent committee was formed.

Ahmed played 60 tests and 250 one-day internationals and was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 1992 World Cup.

Ahmed has been working as the fielding coach of the national team for the last few months and was also a senior coach at the national cricket academy.