BBL 2023-24: PCB Denies NOCs To Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan For Extra Games - Reports

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has denied giving NOCs to Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan to play two more games in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24. The reports in Pakistan cricket have suggested the two players requested to play more games in the league but the board wasn’t keen. 

PCB wants both Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, and Usama Mir to stay fit for the upcoming New Zealand T20Is and hence they didn’t allow them to play more games in BBL. The governing body earlier allowed some players to take part in 5 games in the tournament. 

As per the earlier NOCs granted, all the Pakistan players in BBL are scheduled to stay in Australia till 28th December. Apart from the players, the franchises also requested PCB to extend their availability in the tournament till the end of the first week of January. 

But PCB has denied their request too ahead of the New Zealand tour. Pakistan are scheduled to play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The series will begin on 12th January and Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan are part of the squad. 

BREAKING ?
PCB has been refused to give NOC extension to Haris Rauf, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan for next two more games in BBL league before Pakistan fly to New Zealand for five T-20 matches.
All three players will stay in Sydney and wait to end test series. pic.twitter.com/2lD611qr3b

— Ejaz Wasim Bakhri (@ejazwasim) December 27, 2023

Pakistan will be captained by Shaheen Afridi in the T20I series against New Zealand. The fast bowler was recently appointed as the captain of the team in the shortest format of the game. PCB made him skipper after Babar Azam stepped down as the leader of the team following the debacle in ICC World Cup 2023. 

Here is the Pakistan squad for the T20Is against New Zealand 

Shaheen Afridi (c), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan. 

Haris Rauf recently pulled out of the Test series against Australia. He cited mental fatigue as his reason for not playing. He will be an important part of the team for the T20I series against New Zealand along with Usama Mir and Zaman Khan. 

PAK vs AUS: PCB Appointed Yasir Arafat as the new high-performance coach ahead of New Zealand T20Is 

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently appointed former all-rounder Yasir Arafat as the new high-performance coach ahead of New Zealand T20Is. He will be taking charge of the team soon as he will join the team in Lahore ahead of moving to New Zealand for the series. 

Yasir Arafat will be replacing Simon Helmut in the role. His appointment came on the recommendation of the national team’s director Mohammad Hafeez. Currently, the team is in Australia for the T20I series against Australia. They are not having a great outing there as hosts are making their mockery. 

Pakistan suffered a 360-run thrashing in the first Test against Australia in Perth. They are looking down and dusted in the second game and it won’t be a surprise if they lose the second game in the series. They are yet to win a series down under for more than the last two decades. They would be hoping to turn things around this time but things look bleak.