The PCB tightened its policy on Pakistan’s player participation in overseas T20 leagues, limiting them to two leagues per year after the national team’s T20 World Cup exit.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is enforcing its existing policy limiting players to two No Objection Certificates (NOCs) per year for overseas T20 leagues. This stricter implementation comes after the national team’s disappointing first-round exit from the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
Pakistan’s central and domestic cricket contracts include a clause restricting players to a maximum of two NOCs for foreign leagues besides the Pakistan Super League (PSL). This means they can only participate in two additional T20 tournaments internationally in a year.
The PCB has withheld NOCs for youngsters Azam Khan and Saim Ayub, who were retained by their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) teams despite being part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad.
An anonymous PCB source clarified, “The two-NOC rule applies to all contracted players, and the board reserves the right to reject any NOC request,” as quoted by News18. They added that workload management and domestic commitments would also be considered when reviewing NOC requests.
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This stricter enforcement is evident in the case of leg-spinner Usama Mir. He was denied permission to play in England’s Vitality Blast and The Hundred tournaments because he had already reached his two-league limit for the year. The source explained, “Mir argued that he had no international commitments and no domestic matches, but the decision lies with the PCB.”
The PCB has also informed other cricket boards and franchises that players without a PCB-issued NOC will be the sole responsibility of the signing team.
Last Updated on June 15, 2024