ICC reject Pakistan plea

The International Cricket Council has rejected another appeal by the the Pakistan Cricket Board to delay the announcement of their World Cup squad.

With the final 15-man squad announcements due on February 13, Pakistan officials had requested they be permitted to name their team three days later, when they are scheduled to return from their tour of South Africa.

However, the ICC confirmed on their official website today that this request has been turned down.

The delay was requested to give the PCB more time to assess the progress of injured quartet Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul and Mohammad Sami.