Shoaib Akhtar confirms offer from ICL

With the Twenty20 World Cup just a month away, triggering an important season in which Pakistan face South Africa, India and Australia, the bombshell that current players have been seriously considering offers from the breakaway Indian Cricket League is posing a threat to Pakistan cricket.
The quartet - captain Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq - consulted lawyers to deal with the repercussions of playing in the ICL.
Three other players - Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Danish Kaneria - too delayed signing their contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
A lawyer representing one of the four players, said the PCB had no right to stop the players if they wished to play for the ICL. The legal advice encouraged the players.
Shoaib Akhtar, being the most popular of the four, is said to have got an offer of US one million dollars, with Afridi second with $500,000 and the other two promises of $300,000 each.
Shoaib Akhtar confirms offer:
The speedster confirmed that he had received a "very lucrative offer from the ICL," but preferred not to play in it.
"It was a very tempting offer but I have decided to stay away from it and am going ahead and signing the PCB contract," he said.
The quartet - alongwith Younis and Yousuf, both of whom were also approached by the ICL, are placed in A category of the central contracts.
They get an annual salary of Rs 2,50, 000 and bonuses in case of wins and notable performances.
New Zealand's Stephen Fleming was the first current Test player to be speculatively linked to the competition.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who still harbours hopes of playing in the Tests after retiring from One-Day cricket, is also considering the ICL offer.
The PCB's chief co-operating officer Shafqat Naghmi hoped the matter would be resolved soon.
Courtesy:cricketnext.com