PCB to deny NOCs to key players for major franchise competitions

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the organisation is expected to deny No Objection Certificates (NOCs) of several key players for upcoming franchise tournaments. ESPNCricinfo.

This decision follows the denial of a NOC for The Hundred to Naseem Shah.

The report indicates that Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam will not be available for the Global T20 League Canada, which begins on July 25, due to workload management. The PCB is aiming to ensure its top players are well-rested for a busy domestic schedule, including a two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting on August 21.

While the PCB’s current stance on NOCs does not mean that all requests will be banned entirely, it is expected that this will primarily impact players who regularly compete across all formats.

This policy is expected to continue beyond the upcoming competitions due to Pakistan’s busy cricket schedule from October 2024 to May 2025. Therefore, the PCB will not approve NOC applications for players of all formats during this period, which coincides with several T20 competitions.

Under the central contracts signed last year, players are allowed to participate in two foreign franchise competitions each year, provided there are no conflicting international commitments.