LAHORE: Pakistan all-rounder Usama Mir will not participate in this year’s T20 clash after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to give him a no-objection certificate (NOC).
The 28-year-old will represent Worcestershire Rapids and is expected to be available after being dropped from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the PCB rejected his application for NOC. Mir is one of the players who signed a three-year central contract with the PCB. As per the terms of the contract, all centrally contracted players are allowed to participate in the two T20 franchise leagues apart from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during the season.
This means that Mir is ineligible for the T20 league during his current contract, which runs from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
Mir played in the minors in August 2023 and in the Major Leagues in 2023–24. Although he has yet to sign a central contract when he plays for the Hundreds, he is set to start in early July. He was dropped from the BBL after just five appearances by the PCB after being called up to the national team for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand. According to the PCB, “all NOCs are subject to the national debt”.
Mir has had a short stint in the BBL and both players believe there is a real chance of being given the NOC for the blast in Worcestershire, but PCB’s stance is out of the question.
It is worth noting that Mir was the top scorer for Multan Sultans in PSL season 9 but has never featured in overseas T20 leagues since then.
He also represented Manchester Originals in the Under-20s last season and is locked in a £60,000 deal until 2024. He wants to play in one league and one extra league this season.
