PCB hit panic button, suspend player NOCs for overseas T20 leagues after Pakistan's loss in Asia Cup final vs India

An ESPNcricinfo report confirms that the PCB has temporarily put a hold on NOCs, with the decision being made the day after the Asia Cup final loss. A notice by PCB chief of operations Sumair Ahmad Syed informed players and their agents of this decision, which prevents them from participating in T20 franchise tournaments for the time being.

"With the approval of Chairman PCB, all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players with respect to participation in leagues and other out of country tournaments are hereby put on hold until further orders," read the notice, mentioning under-fire PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.

As per further reports, provision of NOCs depends on an internal performance evaluation system within the PCB, and it might be due to a failure to meet the required standards that players are being prevented from competing in tournaments such as the ILT20 and the Big Bash League, both set to begin later this year.

While further clarity around the suspension is awaited, it is assumed that this decision is partially taken to ensure that the national team stars remain available for domestic competition. This includes Pakistan’s premier domestic first class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is set to begin in October.

Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam amongst those affected by ruling

As of this moment, the seven players recruited for teams in the Australia Big Bash League await the decision, with high-profile names such as Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi set to participate in that tournament. There are also 16 Pakistani players who have signed up for the ILT20 auction.

This might also be an attempt to match the BCCI, who have never provided Indian players NOCs for participation in overseas leagues. Indian stars are restricted to the IPL and the domestic tournaments, which has allowed for a growing talent pool while also not sacrificing key members to franchise tournaments across the world — a growing concern for a number of cricket boards.

However, Indian cricketers post-retirement have begun to make themselves available for franchise tournaments, with Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin being two high-profile examples. Ashwin was set to be part of Sydney Thunder’s spin-bowling corps alongside Shadab Khan in the BBL, but that has temporarily been cast into doubt.

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