Pakistani cricket stars Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are set to miss the Global T20 competition in Canada this year due to the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) strict stance on no-objection certificates (NOCs) for contracted players.
On July 13, it was revealed that fast bowler Naseem Shah would not receive an NOC from the PCB to participate in The Hundred in England. These NOCs are essential for overseas players to join domestic tournaments worldwide.
Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen are likely to be denied NOCs for the GT20 Canada
Earlier in July, the PCB released a list of players granted NOCs for various leagues, including the Lanka Premier League, Major League Cricket, and the Caribbean Premier League. Notably, Saim Ayub and Azam Khan were denied NOCs for the latter, despite being retained by their franchise, the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
The PCB seems unlikely to grant NOCs to several prominent all-format players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, for the Global T20 league in Canada starting on July 25. The PCB's original list did not mention NOCs for this tournament because the GT20 is yet to be approved by the ICC. The PCB has stated that they will consider NOC requests from players only after the event receives official approval. However, even if the ICC sanctions the GT20, the PCB is reportedly still reluctant to issue NOCs to these star players due to concerns about workload management and wanting them rested for Pakistan's Test series against Bangladesh starting on August 21.
Busy National Team Schedule May Impact Future NOCs
According to the central contracts these players have with the PCB, they are allowed to play in two overseas leagues per season (in addition to the Pakistan Super League) as long as these leagues do not conflict with international commitments. Cricinfo's report further states that the PCB will not entertain any NOC requests from all-format players between October 2024 and May 2025 due to the men's national team's busy schedule during that period. Pakistan is slated to play 37 matches across all formats in those seven months, including the Champions Trophy. Additionally, April and May are reserved for the Pakistan Super League.
The 'PSL plus two' contract clause was introduced to manage workload, but repeated denial of NOCs may lead to friction between the PCB and players due to potential earnings losses. However, the PCB reserves the right to deny NOCs if they believe issuing them would not be in the best interest of the national team.