New Delhi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has denied a no-objection certificate to Naseem Shah to play in The Hundred in England, which could lead to a clash between them.
After a poor T20 World Cup, the PCB has plans to restrict top players from participating in lucrative franchise T20 tournaments, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo.
The board is likely to deny issuing NOCs to several of its centrally contracted players after Pakistan failed to advance beyond the group stage of the T20 World Cup that was held in USA and the Caribbean.
The PCB could cite it as a step to control workload management of their top players, which could prevent key players like Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Babar Azam from participating in the The Global T20 League (GLT20).
The tournament is staged in Canada and is yet to get official approval from the International Cricket Council.
Though Pakistan don’t have any international assignment during The Hundred that begins on July 23 and GLT20, which would start two days later, yet the PCB is keen to keep the players fresh ahead of a demanding schedule.
Pakistan would play in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh from August 21, for which the PCB wants its players to remain in peak condition.
Though this PCB decision won’t stop all players under its purview as Usama Mir will be permitted to allow along with Haris Rauf. Mir had been earlier denied NOC for the T20 Blast.
The PCB, under new chairman Mohsin Naqvi has hinted at making major changes within the team after the T20 World Cup exit.
It has already sacked selectors Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq and will also take a call on Babar Azam’s captaincy once it sits for a meeting with new white-ball coach Gary Kirsten.
