Cricket Victoria CEO denies reports regarding contract offer to Babar Azam

Cricket Victoria CEO, Nick Cummins, has dismissed rumors circulating on local media suggesting that his organization had approached former Pakistan captain Babar Azam with a contract offer. 

Reports claimed that Cricket Victoria sought to persuade Babar to join the Sheffield Shield and play for one of the Melbourne teams in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Contrary to these reports, Cummins has asserted that there is "absolutely zero truth" to the claims. Responding to social media posts discussing Victoria's interest in Babar, Cummins labeled the news as "fake" and clarified that Babar, like any other player, would have to go through the draft process to play in the BBL, potentially being selected by any club.

Fake news https://t.co/zxDKdATUPo

— Nick Cummins (@CricketVicCEO) January 12, 2024

Absolutely zero truth about it. Even if we wanted him to play BBL, he’d have to go through the draft and could go to any club. Love Babar, but the story is not true.

— Nick Cummins (@CricketVicCEO) January 12, 2024

In a light-hearted tone, Cummins jokingly mentioned waiting for people to discover that Virat Kohli had signed with the Melbourne Stars.

Wait until they find out about Kohli signing with the Stars.

— Nick Cummins (@CricketVicCEO) January 12, 2024

The initial report, which surfaced on Thursday, suggested that Cricket Victoria was contemplating a long-term agreement with the former Pakistani captain, who has not previously participated in the Sheffield Shield but had represented Somerset in county cricket from 2019 to 2020.