Mohammad Hafeez Questions PCB's Decision To Revoke NOCs For T10 League

Out-of-favour all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been in and out of the national team set-up in his cricketing career. Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have been axed from the team in the aftermath of poor performances in the ICC World Cup 2019. However, he has expressed his determination to earn a call-up very soon.

Meanwhile, the veteran all-rounder has questioned Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s decision to revoke the No Objection Certificate’s handed to the players to play in the T10 league in Abu Dhabi this month. “First they issued the NOCs and now they have stopped it. I don’t understand. They should have a clear policy on leagues,” Hafeez said.

“I am not in the central contracts list, neither have I been selected in the Pakistan team, Nor do I have any provisional contract and I am also not playing first-class domestic cricket so I do want to go and play in the league,” he said.

Emirates Cricket Board not happy with PCB’s decision:

The Pakistan Cricket Board after initially providing NOCs to 15 players, including the experienced Mohammad Hafeez, then announced NOCs were revoked as the players were required to play domestic cricket and mark their presence in the camps too.

The PCB’s U-turn drew an intense backlash from the Emirates Cricket Board who has said the absence of Pakistani players will sabotage the league.

According to a leading cricket website, ECB vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni had sent a letter last week to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani to say that the decision would directly hurt the UAE government’s stakes in the tournament, and urged the Pakistani board to change its mind.

Mani is known to have told the ECB vice-chairman on the phone call about the Prime Minister’s role in the decision.

He has also advised the ECB to engage directly with Khan through a senior UAE minister in order to find a perfect resolution.

The Emirates Cricket Board is expected to be weighing its options, as well as, raising the issue of government interference in the PCB’s affairs with the international cricket body.

The PCB’s decision to revoke the No Objection Certificates came even after the PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars entered their team “Qalanders” in the T-10 tournament.

The all-rounder who plays in leagues around the world has conceded that if any Pakistani national goes to play in the league then he will also go.

“Either they stop every Pakistani from going to play in the league or allow anyone who wants to go. I play in leagues around the world and after all, I am also answerable to the organizers. If I will not go then no one goes but if the PCB allows anyone to go then I will also go because they first issued me a NOC,” he said.

Hafeez doesn’t have a central contract now and Pakistan Cricket Board rules say a player is actually bound by contractual clauses for at least 6 months after the contract has come to a close.

Pakistan’s former skippers namely Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Imran Nazir (retired) are among the players chosen in the T-10 drafts.