Busy politician Imran Khan says NO to PCB invitation for India tour

By Bipin Dani

MUMBAI, India (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: Pakistan's World Cup winning captain Imran Khan has excused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its invitation to tour India on the occasion of the Pakistan cricket team's tour in December this year.

This was revealed by Zaka Ashraf, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, while talking exclusively with TheSportsNEXT.com on Monday.

The PCB has decided to send ten former cricket legends to India on the occasion of the revival series between the two nations.

Speaking with TheSportsNEXT.com’s correspondent from Lahore, Zaka Ashraf said, "So far, we have only received a letter of rejection offer from Imran Khan. He (Imran) has been a very busy politician and owing to his busy commitments he has expressed his unavailability. Still, we are persuading him to make it".

At 39, Imran Khan led his team to Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory in 1992.

In April 1996, he founded and became the chairman of a political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf which mean Movement for Justice. In the same year, through worldwide fundraising, he founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre.

Last year, he was due to deliver Dilip Sardesai memorial lecture (initiated by Sardesai family a year after the former India batting star expired) in Mumbai. However, owing to his busy schedule he could not make it.

"We have many legends in the country and his place will be taken by some other great", Ashraf added.

Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Mushtaq Mohammad, Javed Burki, Wasim Bari, Intikhab Alam and Sadiq Mohammad are the other players who will be sponsored for India trip.

"These players will be good will ambassadors for Pakistan cricket and can help in improving the cricketing relations between the two countries. It was decided to invite two players for each venue", Zaka Ashraf signed off.