PCB has said that players who are with ICL will have to end their contracts with the rebel league to play for Pakistan.

"They can't just walk out of their contracts to be eligible to play for their country again. They have valid contracts which have clauses that make some responsibilities of the players clear," one source said.

He said if the players ended their contracts without the consent of the ICL organisers, they could end up in legal tangles and also face the prospect of not being cleared by the International Cricket Council.

But PTI has learnt that former Test captains Moin Khan and Inzamam-ul-Haq, who are key figures for the ICL in Pakistan, have been mediating on behalf of the other players with the organisers.

"Yousuf wants to end ICL contract"

"They have spoken to the ICL about a possible exit for the players from their ICL contracts without any legal complications," one source said.

He said Moin had recently been in Lahore to discuss the issue with Inzamam and some board officials after which senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf took the decision of writing a letter to the PCB to reconsider him for national selection again.

The source said with the ICL not being held this year and no clear picture on when it will be held next, most of the Pakistani players wanted to end their contracts. "The fact that the International Cricket Council is also going to introduce new tough laws banning private and unofficial tournaments from June and that there has been no breakthrough in talks between the ICL, the ICC and Indian board has also got the players thinking about their future," the source disclosed.

The ICL was launched with the largest number of signings from Pakistan with a full team from Pakistan (Lahore Badshahs) taking part in the league.

The source said some of the players had told Moin and Inzamam they would be willing to surrender the remaining payments due to them from the ICL in exchange for a smooth end to their contracts.

Chief selector, Abdul Qadir has made it clear that some of the ICL players including Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved, Abdul Razzaq could all be considered for Pakistan if they left the ICL.