Pakistan’s cricket stars like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan are facing uncertainty about their participation in the upcoming Global T20 Canada league. Even though the Global T20 Canada League does not clash with any of the ongoing series, NOCs are unlikely to be handed to these players because of PCB’s policy.
But PCB doesn’t give NOCs to all-format players due to their international schedules. The PCB doesn’t grant NOCs to players in all formats. But this decision has come after the board recently refused a NOC to fast bowler Naseem Shah for his presence in The Hundred League.
Babar and Pakistani Players Await NOC for Global T20 Canada League
Things get complicated with the Global T20 Canada League still pending approval from ICC. It has not gotten any signal from the International Cricket Council. The reason for the holdup from the ICC to give its approval is that some issues are yet to be solved about the administration and governance of the league structure. This dilemma keeps milling, further complicating the availability of players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan.
The PCB also clarified that NOCs for these players would be issued only after the Global T20 Canada League gets formal approval from the ICC. With their participation thus not yet fully confirmed, these players join the list of other challenges faced by the league organizers and the team management.
Some more Pakistan cricketers have already agreed to play in the Global T20 Canada league. People like Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, and Iftikhar Ahmed also secured contracts for the league and are waiting for the same clearances from PCB. Their participation is also subject to ICC’s green signal about the league, pointing out how one administrative agreement links with another regarding international cricket tournaments and players’ involvement in them.
PCB’s NOC Procedure for Global T20 Canada Participation
The PCB earlier this week announced its intention to have a structured and technical process for granting NOCs to players. PCB has laid down structured courses of action for the issuance of NOCs to its players over issues like fitness standards, and form in recent domestic and international cricket. Chances are that it will emphasize the criteria regarding the fitness levels, recent performances, and adherence to disciplinary standards of the players.
According to PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi, this process will consist of an evaluation based on multiple criteria. For example, the fitness levels of the players shall be assessed, their recent performance records shall also come under scrutiny. The overall idea is to ensure that only those players who have satisfied these requirements shall be granted permission to play in such a prestigious overseas league as the Global T20 Canada.
The cricket fraternity and fans now await more updates on whether players will be drafted out of Pakistan for participation in the Global T20 Canada League. The ongoing discussions do not just have an important bearing on the future of the individual careers of cricketers but also be a sign of further consequence for the cricketing fraternity across the world.
While being a very promising platform for Pakistani cricketers to showcase their talent at the global level, this Global T20 Canada league comes with too many uncertainties and highly restrictive NOC policies. The final decision would lie with the ICC first and then with the PCB’s actions, which surely is going to be a defining moment for both player engagements and this new trend in international cricket tournaments.
