Karachi:  As his Indian Premier League stint is not being possible due to some legal hassles, Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has accepted a short five-week contract with English county Lancashire.

Ironically, Yousuf would be the substitute for Australia's Brad Hodge, who would be playing in the IPL on a five-week contract.

But Yousuf said Hodge, to his knowledge, was going to the West Indies with the Australian team in mid-May.

"Lancashire made a good offer and since I was not doing anything I accepted it after speaking to the Cricket Board."

The senior batsman, who has been dropped from Pakistan's Twenty20 squad, cannot play in the IPL despite signing a contract with them as he has been slapped with a damage suit by the rebel Indian Cricket League.

The IPL, in its case, has said that Yousuf first signed a valid contract with them and then walked away to sign up for the IPL. The arbitrator in Mumbai, who is hearing the case, is expected to give a final verdict by end of this week.

Yousuf said he did not know what was going to happen with the ICL case. "Our next assignment is the tri-series in Bangladesh so I thought why not go and play in county cricket and keep in form and touch," he said.

Yousuf will leave for England tomorrow. Pakistan Cricket Board lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi, who is contesting the ICL case, told PTI he did not see bright chances of Yousuf being allowed to play for IPL this year.

"The only option we have if the verdict goes against us is to file an appeal in the Mumbai High court and we have already spoken to some lawyers there about this," Rizvi said. 
Source : PTI