KARACHI The Pakistan Cricket Board spent around Rs10 million in its efforts to get senior batsman and current captain Muhammad Yousuf back into the national fold, leaving the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League (ICL).

According to the documents made available to the Auditor-General of Pakistan, who carried out an audit of the PCB accounts for the period 2002 and late 2008, a total sum of Rs9,620,538 was spent on getting Yousuf available for the Pakistan team.

The Auditor General's report on the PCB accounts noted that besides paying a 'loyalty bonus' of $100,000 (which comes to around Rs6,050,000) the PCB also paid Rs2,272,000 to the rebel ICL as legal compensation costs.

Yousuf had signed a contract with the ICL in September 2007, which according to him was a decision taken out of frustration after being mistreated by the national selectors who dropped him for the inaugural World Twenty20 event in September.

Dr Nasim Ashraf, then PCB Chairman, had tried to convince Yousuf to back out of his ICL contract by luring him with the loyalty bonus and assurance that the board would foot all the legal expenses for any wrangle with the ICL.—Agencies