Lahore: Miffed at the snub to Pakistani players at the third Indian Premier League auction, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday said it would lodge a formal protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and the federal minister for sports Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani said after a meeting that they have unanimously decided to take up the issue with the ICC.

“We will be lodging a complaint with the ICC and I will personally table this issue at the next meeting of the ICC executive board on February 10,” Butt said.

He said the entire country was shocked and disappointed at the way the Pakistani players were first included in the auction and then ignored. “The IPL may be a private and commercial enterprise but this issue involves the pride of a nation and we are going to pursue it with the ICC,” he said.

The PCB chief pointed out that the excuses being offered by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and franchise owners for not bidding for the Pakistani cricketers was without substance.

“They should tell us if franchises had reservations about signing Pakistani players. If they were worried about security issues, why were our players included in the auction in the first place?” he asked.

(PTI)