Revealed: The staggering sum of money Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan are set to miss due to cancellations of NOCs

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly denied the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah to participate in franchise leagues. Babar, Shaheen, Mohammad, and Naseem are set to miss the opportunity to earn a staggering sum of money.

The Pakistan Cricket Board denied a NOC to Naseem Shah to play in the upcoming edition of The Hundred in the UK. The board might also deny NOCs to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi for the Global T20 League 2024 in Canada, which is scheduled to take place from July 25 to August 11.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi made the decision to deny NOCs due to Pakistan's packed cricket schedule until May next year. The PCB wants to tighten its No Objection Certificate policy for all-format players. The board's focus is to prioritize player injury management and workload control for the upcoming season.

The Men in Green are scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 ODIs, and nine T20s until the 2025 Champions Trophy. Pakistan cricketers signed three-year central contracts last year, which allow players to participate in two overseas franchise leagues per year, provided these do not overlap with international duties.

Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan Set To Miss Staggering Sum Of Money

Naseem Shah signed a £125,000 (about PKR 4.4 crore) contract with Birmingham Phoenix for the fourth edition of The Hundred, starting on July 24. Naseem will lose more money than his Category B contract. Birmingham Phoenix needs to find a replacement for the young fast bowler before the tournament begins.

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi might face a $200,000 loss for missing three weeks of cricket, which is $180,000 more than they earn annually from Category A contracts.

"Naseem Shah lost £125k, which is more than his category B contract. Babar, Rizwan & Shaheen suffered a $200k loss for 3 weeks of cricket, this was more than the $180k they earn annually from Category A. PCB pays peanuts, why offer 2 NOCs then backtrack?" a user wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Naseem Shah lost £125k, which is more than his category B contract.

Babar, Rizwan & Shaheen suffered a $200k loss for 3 weeks of cricket, this was more than the $180k they earn annually from Category A.

PCB pays peanuts, why offer 2 NOCs then backtrack? https://t.co/Gu0UTNgUmD

— Raz Khan (@razkhan789) July 13, 2024

As per central contracts, Category A players will earn PKR 4.5 million (about $15,900 or ₹13.14 lakh) per month. Category B players will receive PKR 3 million (around $10,600 or ₹8.76 lakh). Categories C and D players will earn between PKR 0.75-1.5 million (approximately $2,650-5,300 or ₹2.19-4.38 lakh) per month.

ESPNCricinfo reports that the PCB is likely to deny NOCs to key all-format players for the Global T20 League in Canada. The PCB had not listed this tournament in its NOC policy. The report added that the Global T20 must first receive ICC approval before the PCB will consider NOC requests.

"The Global T20 is yet to be approved by the ICC. After the event receives the status of an Approved Event, the PCB will consider NOC requests from the players."

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