NOC confusion leads to dwindling demand for Pakistan cricketers in T20 leagues

The demand for Pakistani cricketers in T20 leagues is falling due to uncertainty over the No Objection Certificate (NOC) policy from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as reported by a local news channel.

The confusion around NOCs has caused issues each season, as the policy lacks clear guidelines. This problem became evident during the recent draft for Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL). Sources say that the BBL management decided not to include Pakistani players due to the unclear NOC situation.

BBL teams had initially shown interest in signing Pakistani cricketers and sought information about their availability. However, the uncertainty over the NOCs meant that the teams couldn't be sure if the players would be available for the entire tournament or just for certain matches.

As a result, only Usama Mir was chosen in the draft, while other notable players like Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman, along with 69 other nominated cricketers, were not selected.

Haris Rauf was approached by two teams but was not picked due to the uncertainty regarding his availability. He had already played in two leagues and was seeking special permission to participate in a third league.

Rauf was not considered for the Test series against Bangladesh and there is no clear indication of his inclusion in the series against England. Despite this, he remains keen on playing both white-ball and red-ball cricket.