• PCB restricted players to two foreign T20 leagues per year.
• Azam Khan and Saim Ayub were denied NOCs for CPL.
• Usama Mir was denied NOC for playing in England.

Following Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in the US, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is now enforcing a rule that limits its cricketers to playing in only two foreign T20 leagues each year. Players under both central and domestic contracts need to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in these leagues, and they can only get two per year.

Azam Khan and Saim Ayub, who were both in the World Cup team, didn’t get NOCs even though their CPL teams wanted to keep them.

A PCB official explained, “The other players have also been given a clear message that the two NOCs rule applies to both centrally and domestically contracted players, and the board also reserves the right to turn down any NOC request from any player.” The PCB can say no to an NOC if it thinks a player has too much on their plate or needs to be available for games at home.

Usama Mir, a leg-spinner, was told he’s already played in his two leagues for the year, even though he said he wasn’t tied up with international or domestic cricket.

“Mir argued that, since he was free of any international commitments and there were no domestic events, he should be allowed to play in England. However, he was told that this decision is not for him to make but for the board to decide,” the official added.

The PCB has warned other cricket boards and T20 league organizers that if they sign Pakistani players without an NOC from the PCB, they’re doing so at their own risk.

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