** I meant to write Razzaq in the subject **
This is precisely the problem with Pakistani cricketers. Their egos are sky high, they all wanna be captains.
Demoted Razzaq severs ties with Lahore Lions
Cricinfo staff
Abdul Razzaq: “The association refused to give me any merit-based reasons and they told me that they didn’t have to justify themselves to anyone” © Getty Images
Abdul Razzaq has refused to represent Lahore Lions in the upcoming RBS Twenty20 Cup, choosing instead to join an already powerful Sialkot Stallions side, after he was overlooked for the captaincy of his hometown team.
Razzaq had been selected by Lahore for this season’s tournament, which begins from February 28 in Karachi. But unlike the last two seasons he turned out for the Lions, in 2006 and 2009, he was overlooked for the captaincy, the Lahore association opting for Salman Butt instead. The move irked Razzaq, more so given that he took the side to the final last year with a string of explosive performances that led to his own comeback into the national side.
“I spoke with the Lahore Association to ask why I had been dropped as the captain of the Lions,” Razzaq told Cricistan.com. "I wanted to play for my native Lahore so I asked them to give me a merit-based reason for replacing me as the captain. I told them that I had no problem with being replaced as captain if they could give me a good reason for doing it.
“I reminded them that I’d taken the Lions to the semi-finals and the final of the last two T20 cups I had played. The association refused to give me any merit-based reasons and they told me that they didn’t have to justify themselves to anyone. They said their decision was final and that I had to accept it.”
There are other surprising big-name moves in the 13 city sides due to take part in what is the PCB’s most successful and popular domestic event. Mohammad Yousuf, another Lions fixture, will be turning out for Islamabad Leopards instead, under the leadership of Shoaib Akhtar. Yousuf has long sought to prove that he can be a successful Twenty20 player and though he captained the Lions side in 2008, he was left out of their squad this year.
The Peshawar Panthers will also be without a number of regulars, such as Younis Khan, Yasir Hameed and Riffatullah Mohmand. The trio has switched to Abbottabad Rhinos instead. Younis’s participation is still not certain, however. The Panthers will be led by former Test bowler Riaz Afridi and still have Umar Gul in their squad.