Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan And Shaheen Afridi’s Participation In Global T20 Canada League In Doubt

Ace Pakistan cricketers Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi’s participation in the upcoming edition of the Global Canada T20 league in 2024. The reason is that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has withheld the issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to the three players.

The GT20 Canada event is planned to take place between July 25 and August 11. The Vancouver Knights won the inaugural championship in 2018. The Winnipeg Hawks won the GT20 Canada title in 2019. The Montreal Tigers are the current champions, having won the title by defeating the Knights in the 2023 final.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board granted no-objection certificates to twelve male cricketers, allowing them to compete in international franchise competitions. Some of the players on the list are under Pakistan’s central contract, while others have been absent from the national team for an extended period.

It is worth noting that the Pakistan Cricket Board has developed a policy that allows centrally contracted players to compete in no more than two international leagues each year. Azam Khan, a wicketkeeper-batsman, resigned from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) after failing to secure a NOC from the board.

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi yet to receive NOCs from the PCB

Meanwhile, several Pakistani cricketers apart from Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Shaheen Afridi have applied for NOCs from PCB for the Global Canada T20 league. Teams have selected Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz for the Global T20 Canada competition.

Mohammad Rizwan has been named captain of the Vancouver Knights and Babar Azam is to play for the same franchise under Rizwan’s captaincy. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz will represent the Toronto Nationals, while Iftikhar Ahmed is set to join the Bangla Tigers Mississauga.

PCB does not intend to allow Babar, Shaheen, or Rizwan to compete in Canada’s franchise competition. The board just wants to know what the International Cricket Council (ICC) thinks about Canada’s ‘league affiliations.’

“The players had sought permission from the PCB to join the league, but the board is currently in discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the league’s affiliation. A decision on the NOC will be made once the ICC provides clarification,” a statement in cricketpakistan.com.pk read.

List of Pakistani players to get NOCs: