LAHORE: Due to the uncertainty surrounding the NOC (No Objection Certificate) policy issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the demand for Pakistani cricketers in T20 leagues is dwindling, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
This issue of NOCs for national players sparks debate each season, primarily due to the lack of clarity.
A recent example of this uncertainty has come to light during the draft of Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). As per sources, because of the unclear situation, the BBL management has pulled back from considering Pakistani cricketers.
The BBL teams were initially keen on signing players from Pakistan and had sought clarity regarding their availability. However, the Pakistani cricketers were unable to provide definite answers about their NOCs, leaving the BBL teams uncertain about the player’s availability for the entire tournament or specific matches.
As a result, only Usama Mir was selected in the draft, while well-known players like Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman, along with 69 other nominated cricketers, were left out.
Rauf was approached by two teams but wasn’t selected due to the lack of clarity regarding his availability, despite having already participated in two leagues.
In the event of non-selection, Rauf was seeking special permission to play in a third league.
Rauf has not been considered for the upcoming series against Bangladesh, and there is no clear indication if he is part of the plans for the series against England. He remains eager to play both white-ball and red-ball cricket.
