National team players are unhappy over the non-issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for foreign leagues.
According to Urdupoint sources, players have expressed strong reservations over PCB’s policy about NOCs for leagues, and have been engaged in several discussions with the team management on the matter.
In their complaints to the team management, they have said that each player is being evaluated for issuance of NOC under different criteria. Some players have played three leagues within a year and they are of the view that other players should also be given NOC. If there is no national responsibility, the PCB will have to issue the NOC.
They are questioning the utility of having two NOCs when they are not allowed to play the full league. Despite the national responsibility, PCB is not willing to issue NOC and the players cannot even seek compensation for being excluded from the central contract under unfair circumstances. Players have questioned how the workload is determined without any medical or biomechanical tests. Players can also consider opting out of central contracts in case of injustice. It may be noted that PCB has issued NOC to Azam Khan and Shadab Khan who have already played two leagues. In response to a query, the source acknowledged the tension in the board’s policy and said that if there is no permanent chairman, the NOC policy is also not permanent.
A review of the NOC policy will be considered if a new chairman is appointed. It may be noted that wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Haris had to return from Dhaka without participating in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as the PCB refused to issue him a NOC. Harris arrived in Dhaka to represent Chattogram Challengers in the 10th edition of the BPL.
However, PCB rejected his NOC request due to his participation in two leagues from July 2023. He played in Canada’s Global T20 League in July and Lanka Premier League in August 2023. Earlier, PCB had announced that they have given NOC for participating in the upcoming franchise-based leagues. According to the cricket board, the NOCs were issued as per the provisions of the players’ central contract.
“This decision was made in the best interest of all stakeholders involved, balancing the importance of playing time with workload management”. Both the leagues started on January 19. Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Wasim Jr., Faheem Ashraf, Usman Qadir, and many other Pakistani stars are part of various BPL teams. Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, and Muhammad Amir will play from Desert Vipers Imad Wasim from Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20.
Pacers Ihsanullah, Naseem Shah, and Muhammad Hasnain were not given NOCs because of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Haris, and Iftikhar Ahmed did not get NOC for BPL. Their NOCs are on hold as they have played two leagues since July 2023. Players under contract in the ILT20 are exempt from this requirement as they were signed by the franchises before the central contracts.