ICL is low standard cricket, says Razzaq

Back in the national side after snapping ties with the ICL, Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq said he had a torrid time adjusting to mainstream cricket after playing in the "low standard" rebel League.

"It wasn't easy getting back into international cricket after a long absence. This is the highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in the ICL and its low standards of cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment," Razzaq told the Dawn newspaper in London.

Razzaq made a successful comeback to the Pakistan side taking two wickets after he rushed to England as a replacement for injured pacer Yasir Arafat.

However, the allrounder is not satisfied with his performance and said he had set high standards for himself and blamed the ICL for making things difficult.

Razzaq said he had breathed a sigh of relief after quitting the ICL last month. Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf, Rana Naved and Imran Nazir have all quit the ICL and the PCB has already got clearance from the ICC to draft back the first three into the national team.

Yousuf and Naved are expected to join Razzaq in the national team for the coming tour of Sri Lanka from June 27.

"I think I still need two to three weeks to get up to the standards of international cricket," Razzaq said.

His comments about the ICL would come as a surprise since he was the first Pakistani player to join the rebel league in 2007 after he was dropped from the Pakistan team for the first T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Sources said the bitterness of Razzaq and some of the other players was also due to the fact that the ICL organizers had not cleared their dues and the future of the league now looked bleak.

Razzaq also said his stints with Surrey and Middlesex in recent years have helped him to get back into international cricket and perform at the Oval. 

"I have played a lot at the Oval before and it helped me immensely. I was able to also give input in the team meeting on the type of pitch, the outfield and the conditions and I think it helped me a great deal to have that background information," he said.