The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering withdrawing its players as guests from the ICC’s awards night on September 15 as a protest over spinner Saeed Ajmal’s snub.

PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf says not attending the function in Colombo, three days before the Twenty20 World Cup begins, would represent a robust protest.

The PCB complained on Monday to the ICC after South Africa’s Vernon Philander and Hashim Amla, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Australia’s Michael Clarke were named as the four players on the list for Test Player of the Year.

“We are facing a lot of pressure from the public and from our former players to push for his inclusion,” Ashraf said on Thursday.

“The ICC should check whether the independent jury is coming up with the best name and they should not give away the due right of any player in the world.

“If anyone else has more wickets than Ajmal, then we are ready to withdraw our concern and instead we will support their pick. But this isn’t reflecting well of the ICC and they should rectify it.

“Meanwhile we probably have to give a second thought to even boycott the function as a robust protest,” Ashraf told cricinfo website.

Ajmal took 72 Test wickets in the 12-month period, including 24 in Pakistan’s 3-0 rout of then-world No.1 team England.

Graeme Swann was omitted from a long list of nominees in 2010 but was later included after England presented a case.

But the ICC says it has no authority to alter the short lists decided by the 32-member voting academy, which includes ex-players and media representatives.

Ajmal was named in the long list for the Test award but not the final four.