The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has declined the NOC requests of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the Global T20 Canada 2024 season, citing a packed international calendar.
A media release from the board claims that the decision was taken after consultations with the three players as well as the national selection committee.
"The PCB had received NOC requests from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 event, 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," the PCB said in a statement.
Pakistan have a packed calendar ahead which will see them play nine Tests (home and away), 14 ODIs and nine T20Is in the lead-up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on home soil.
Hence, the Pakistan Cricket Board wants all of its players to remain available for the upcoming contests and prepare well to defend their ICC Champions Trophy.
"The three are all-format cricketers and their services are expected to be required in the upcoming eight months during which Pakistan will play nine Tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20Is. 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," the statement added.
Pakistan's next assignment is a two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh, starting August 21 in Rawalpindi.
Interestingly, the PCB has granted NOCs to Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali by stating that they are white-ball players.
