Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not likely to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to players picked in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. As many as 16 Pakistan players are part of the ten-overs-a-side competition, though two days out from the tournament, reports suggest that the players will have to pull out without NOCs.
Last-minute fee demands
While the PCB made no official announcement regarding the decision, it is believed that the board requested an NOC fee in the range of $10,000 for each player from the franchises. This fee was demanded a few days before the start of the tournament, leaving the teams in a lurch.
Reliable sources state the league management applied for NOCs for Pakistani players shortly after the player draft on September 30. The officials alleged that the PCB only demanded the NOC fee at the start of this week. Reportedly, some players offered to pay the NOC fee out of their own pockets, but mediation talks apparently fell through without a solution.
This is the second time this month that a franchise league has had issues with NOCs from the PCB. Previously, Pakistan players had to return home from Nepal after the PCB reportedly refused to issue NOCs at the last moment, requesting an NOC fee just a few days ahead of the tournament.
Pakistan players in MLC and NPL
Reports from these two instances are in line with similar rumours that were rife during Major League Cricket (MLC). Reportedly, MLC franchises considered avoiding signing Pakistan players in future editions over concerns regarding the PCB’s NOC policy.
According to sources, the franchises were frustrated by what they described as an uncertain and expensive NOC process, calling it “total extortion”. Besides the fee itself, franchises were reportedly unhappy with the timing of the demand, which they claim usually comes only a week before the tournament begins.
The PCB’s stance
A PCB official explained the board’s stance behind the practice, revealing that such a fee is demanded from leagues where a reciprocal player deal is not as lucrative. For instance, players from the UAE and Nepal would not be in as high demand in the PSL as Pakistan players are in their leagues.
This does not, however, explain the last-minute demands for fees, which leave the franchises struggling to fill their ranks days before the tournament starts.
Players picked at Abu Dhabi T10 draft:
Salman Irshad (Arabian Aces), Akif Javed, Hasan Nawaz, Ali Raza (Emirates Eagles), Naseem Shah (Royal Desert Champions), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Khawaja Nafay, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr (UAE Bulls), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Sufyan Moqim, Abbas Afridi (United Tigers).
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