Lahore, Mar 01: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to pull out of a sponsorship contract with Pepsi Pakistan for ''bypassing proper channels'' and approaching four senior Pakistani players for a commercial shoot in Mumbai. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan was reportedly upset on learning that Pepsi India had, without clearance from its sister organisation in Pakistan or the board, approached the four players directly and asked them to appear in the commercial shoot being prepared for the Indo-Pak series. Pakistan Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, star batsman Yousuf Youhana, speedster Shoaib Akhtar and wicketkeeper Moin Khan were to feature with some leading Indian players in the commercial shoot meant to be telecast during the coming series. According to PCB sources, ''Shaharyar believes that this move by Pepsi India could have spoiled the team spirit in the Pakistan team by approaching only four players directly during the national camp and promising them lucrative sums to shoot the ad before such an important series.''
''He has spoken to the Pepsi regional director and country ? managers for India and Pakistan and made it very clear that he did not like this move to upset the Pakistan training camp and spirit of the team,'' the source added.
''Shaharyar has also told Pepsi that the money promised to the four players should be paid to them now and Pepsi India can shoot the commercial in Karachi or Lahore and if this is not possible then they should give some compensation to the players,'' the source added.

The PCB has paid Pepsi Pakistan a sum of around 375,000 dollars as compensation. Bureau Report