Farhat has grown disillusioned with the Pakistan authorities

The 27-year-old was overlooked for the World Cup and World Twenty20 and has opted out of having a central contract.

Farhat was fined for calling chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed after being omitted for a series against Sri Lanka.

"I am a professional and get offers to play. What has happened with me shows that my future is not safe," he said.

"I am not comfortable with what has happened to me in the past six or seven months. I don't only want a central contract - I want playing opportunities."

The left-hander, who has scored 1,655 runs in 27 Tests and 974 runs in 33 one-day internationals, is the first current international cricket to agree to join the ICL.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has warned that any such players will no longer be selected for the national team but Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq are considering offers.

Retired West Indian captain Brian Lara, Test cricket's highest run-scorer, is the only big name to have confirmed his participation in the Twenty20 competition, which carries a winner's purse of $1m.

Seven first-class cricketers from Hyderabad opted on Thursday to join the ICL.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which has declined to recognise the competition, will meet in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss the developments.