Board accused of delaying appeals to keep Younus and Naved out of Asia Cup

A leading Pakistan parliamentarian alleged that the arbitrator hearing appeals by Younus Khan and Rana Naved against suspensions was delaying their hearings to keep them out of next month's Asia Cup. Younus was suspended indefinitely for infighting with Mohammad Yousuf, the former captain, on a tour of Australia early this year, while Naved was banned for a year and fined US$23,500 (Dh86,316) for poor performance on that tour. Younus' appeal had been put back until Saturday June 5, but selectors are likely to finalise the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup before that. Naved's next hearing will be on June 19 - five days after the Asia Cup begins in Sri Lanka. Iqbal Mohammad Ali, the head of parliament's sports committee, felt the delays were deliberate. "I believe the only reason in delaying the appeals of these two players is that the Pakistan Cricket Board does not want to include their names in the Asia Cup squad," Ali told AP.