Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, And Mohammad Rizwan will not be given the NOCs by the PCB to play in the Global Canada T20 league and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has explained the reason why.
The GT20 Canada event is scheduled to take place from July 25 to August 11. The Vancouver Knights won their first championship in 2018. The Winnipeg Hawks won the GT20 Canada championship in 2019. The Montreal Tigers are the current champions, after defeating the Knights in the 2023 final.
Aside from Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Shaheen Afridi, numerous Pakistani cricketers have requested NOCs from the PCB for the Global Canada T20 League. Teams have chosen Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz for the Global T20 Canada competition.
Mohammad Rizwan has been named Vancouver Knights captain, and Babar Azam will play for the same team under Rizwan’s leadership. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz will represent the Toronto Nationals, while Iftikhar Ahmed is set to join the Bangla Tigers Mississauga.
International cricketers also have to play domestic cricket- Mohsin Naqvi’s dig at Babar Azam
PCB does not plan to allow Babar, Shaheen, or Rizwan to compete in Canada’s franchise competition. The board simply wants to know what the International Cricket Council (ICC) thinks of Canada’s ‘league affiliations.’
While addressing the media in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi said that only players performing well in domestic cricket will be considered for the national team, and those not playing domestically will not be selected again.
He also mentioned the granting of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players who wish to participate in leagues. Naqvi stated that players who wanted NOCs for leagues before the Bangladesh Test series would not receive them.
This decision affects players such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan, who filed for NOCs for the Global T20 competition.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board handed no-objection certificates to twelve male cricketers, allowing them to compete in franchise leagues worldwide. Some of the players on the list are under Pakistan’s central contract, while others have been out of the national squad for an extended period.
Also Read: “Babar Azam’s Biggest Mistake..”- Rashid Latif Slams Ace Pakistan Batter For His Poor Captaincy