The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in no mood to let its players feature in the global franchise T20 competitions following a humiliating performance at the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.
Right-arm speedster Naseem Shah is the latest player denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The premier fast bowler was poised to play in the upcoming edition of The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix but he can't fly to England without the NOC from the PCB.
In addition to that, Pakistan's incumbent white-ball captain Babar Azam and left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi are also expected to miss out on playing in the Global T20 League Canada.
Notably, neither The Hundred nor the Global T20 League Canada clash with any of the tournaments that Pakistan are going to play in the next few months. Still, it is believed that the PCB wants its players to be fit and injury-free for the international fixtures that lie ahead, starting with a two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh.
As per the three-year-long contract that the PCB offered in 2023, the players are allowed to feature in two overseas T20 leagues per year. However, PCB reserves the right to deny NOCs in case of a clash between T20 leagues and its international fixtures.
The decision to deny NOC to Naseem has come after the PCB recently sacked its former chief selector Wahab Riaz and a member of the selection panel Abdul Razzaq.
The apex cricketing body in Pakistan has revamped its selection committee after the senior team failed to make it to the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Significantly, Pakistan lost to the USA and their arch-rivals India during the group stage to crash out of the tournament. They only managed to earn a consolation win against Canada.
