PCB Denies NOC to Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan for Global T20 League Canada
The Pakistan Cricket Board has provided the following update on the matter of non-issuing the NOC to key players for the Global T20 League due to be played in Canada in July and August 2024:
“The PCB had received NOC requests from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 League, amongst other players. After taking into consideration Pakistan’s busy and packed cricket calendar in the period from August 2024 to March 2025, which includes nine ICC World Test Championship matches and next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and following consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee, it has been decided to decline their requests.”
These three players are all-format cricketers and their services are expected to be required in the upcoming eight months of the busy cricket schedule of the Pakistan Cricket team, during which Pakistan Cricket team will play nine Test matches against Bangladesh Cricket team, England Cricket team and West Indies Cricket teams. 14 ODI matches during these eight months against the Australian Cricket team, Zimbabwe Cricket team, South Africa Cricket team, and New Zeeland Cricket teams. Nine T20 international matches against the Australian Cricket team, Zimbabwe Cricket team, and New Zeeland Cricket teams, further the much anticipated Champions Trophy is also scheduled in next year in Pakistan.
PCB further stated that as such, and in line with the PCB’s workload management policy, it is in the best interest of Pakistan cricket and the players that they skip the upcoming event in Canada so that they are in their best mental and physical shape for the season, which commences with the two-Test series against Bangladesh.”
Earlier, the PCB had also declined permission to Naseem Shah for The Hundred on the same grounds.
In the meantime, the PCB has approved NOCs for Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Nawaz. The four players are predominantly white-ball cricketers, while Iftikhar and Nawaz are centrally contracted players.
This non-issuance of NOC to key players was expected and the news was circulated even before the announcement of PCB that PCB would not issue NOC because of the poor performance of the Pakistan cricket team and the behavioral issues of the key players during the World Cup in the recent T20 World Cup that played in United Staes of Ameria and West Indies.
Recently Shaheen Shah Afridi announced that he would not participate in The Hundred League and it was expected that he would get the NOC for the Global T20 event but the PCB rejected the NOC due to the busy cricket schedule of the Pakistan team.
The decision to pull three key players out of the Global T20 Canada and Naseem Shah from The Hundred League is significant. Last year the players signed a three-year contract with the PCB, as per their contract the players are allowed to play in two international leagues in a year, as long as these leagues do not clash with international matches of the Pakistan Cricket team. The contract also states that the PCB has the right to refuse NOCs to players if it feels it is in the best interests of the Pakistan Cricket team.
