The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rejected the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the national team captain Babar Azam, left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, and the wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan to feature in the upcoming season of the Global T20 league in Canada.
In a statement, the board has decided against issuing the NOCs of these three veteran players after discussing with them and the selection committee, as they are looking forward to offering them enough rest and refreshment time before what is going to be a lengthy home season in the next six months.
The refusal comes shortly after the board decided to deny another Pakistan seam bowler- Naseem Shah from taking part in the Hundred, where he had signed for the Birmingham Phoenix in a deal that would have seen him earning around 1.5 crore INR (GBP 125000).
Pakistan to rest three-format players ahead of busy home season
A few days ago, it was reported that the Pakistan cricket board is looking to avoid permission for their all-format players to feature in the T20 leagues around the world, citing the upcoming international schedule as the reason, which ends with the next edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025.
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‘It should be remembered that between August 2024 and March 2025, the Pakistan cricket team has to play nine Tests of the ICC World Test Championship, the ICC Champions Trophy, 14 ODIs and nine T20Is. All three cricketers play all three formats and Pakistan will need their services in the next eight months,’ The PCB statement noted.
However, some of the other Pakistan players- like Usama Mir, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, and Asif Ali are busy in playing various T20 leagues around the globe. The fiery pacer of the national side- Haris Rauf too is involved in the ongoing season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States of America.
The decision by the board to pull three of the marquee and veteran players along with the star of the young generation- Naseem Shah from the lucrative deal is huge, as the three-year central contract that the Pakistan cricket board and their players signed last year allows them to take part in two leagues per year, as long as it doesn’t clash with the international commitments.
However, it was also mentioned in the contract, that if the Pakistan board members feel right, then they have all the right to refuse NOCs or withdraw their players from leagues that directly don’t clash with the international commitments. Despite that, it’s anyway expected to make issues among the players, as questions would arise on the allowance made in the central contract.
The aim for the board is to offer the players enough break as they look to prepare for their upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. They will fly to Australia for a limited-overs series, before being involved against Zimbabwe and then South Africa, who will face the green brigade in the red-ball format.
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Returning home, Pakistan will face the West Indies in a home Test series, before taking on New Zealand and the Proteas in a home tri-series, which will be followed by the Champions Trophy, white-ball games in New Zealand, and then the PSL, which is expected to end towards the last week of May.
There are also decisions to be made on the captaincy future of Babar Azam, who has stepped down from the ODI leadership after a poor ODI World Cup 2023 and didn’t enjoy much time during the recent T20 World Cup 2022 in the United States of United States of America (USA).