Pakistan players' participation in foreign T20 leagues under threat as PCB set to enforce two-NOCs policy: Report

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has tightened its stance on the national players’ participation in overseas T20 leagues after the national team's disappointing exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean.

After Pakistan National Cricket Team's failure to qualify for the Super-8 round of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, PCB has reaffirmed its two-NOCs (No Objection Certificate) policy for the overseas T20 leagues.

According to this policy, Pakistani players under central and domestic contracts can only receive NOCs for a maximum of two foreign leagues per year, in addition to their commitments in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

PCB implements stricter rules on players' participation in overseas T20 leagues

With this move, PCB aims to ensure that the players prioritize national duty and maintain fitness standards crucial for international competitions, as they are facing embarrassment for ending their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the first round in the USA.

Notably, youngsters Azam Khan and Saim Ayub, both of whom are part of Pakistan's 2024 T20 World Cup squad, have not received NOCs to participate in the next edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in the West Indies, despite being retained by their respective teams in the league.

PCB made it clear that they would not be issued, prioritizing their availability for domestic and international fixtures. The Pakistani board doesn’t want to take any potential risks to players' workload and fitness by playing in numerous franchise leagues across the world.

NOC’s rule applies to both centrally and domestic contracted players: PCB Source

An official source in the PCB was quoted as saying by PTI: “The other players have also been given a clear message that the two NOC’s rule applies to both centrally and domestic contracted players and the board also reserves the right to turn down any NOC request from any player.”

Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir encountered an issue with the PCB recently when he sought a NOC to participate in England's Vitality Blast and The Hundred tournaments.

He was clearly informed by the PCB that he had already utilized his allowance of two league participations for the year under their policy, so they will not allow him to play in the ECB’s upcoming competitions.

The source added, “Mir took the argument that since he was free of any international commitments and there was no domestic event he should be allowed to play in England, he was told in clear terms this is not for him but for the board to decide.”

Notably, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team’s hopes to qualify for the Super-8 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 were ruined after the USA vs IRE clash at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, was washed out on Friday.

The bad weather allowed the USA to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the ongoing tournament with the two teams sharing points, ending Pakistan’s campaign in the first round of the mega event. They will play their last match in the T20 World Cup 2024 on June 16 in Florida.