Pakistan stars at risk of missing Abu Dhabi T10 over PCB fee

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket fans could miss seeing several prominent national players in the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 League after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly demanded $10,000 for issuing each No-Objection Certificate (NOC), putting their participation in serious doubt.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the PCB has withheld NOCs for Pakistani cricketers selected in the tournament until the league management or participating franchises agree to pay the required amount.

The development has created uncertainty just days before the competition is scheduled to begin on November 7, leaving franchises with little time to resolve the issue or find replacement players.

As many as 16 Pakistani cricketers were selected by five of the six participating franchises during the player draft held on September 30.

The list includes several established international stars, such as Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf.

According to the report, Abu Dhabi T10 management submitted applications for the required NOCs shortly after the draft. However, the PCB reportedly communicated its demand for $10,000 per certificate only at the beginning of this week.

The late introduction of the financial condition has complicated preparations for franchises that had already finalised their squads around the availability of Pakistani players.

The report further stated that some cricketers were even considering paying the NOC fee themselves from their tournament earnings if franchise owners refused to cover the additional expense.

Despite efforts to resolve the matter through mediation, several teams have reportedly started exploring alternative players as uncertainty continues over the availability of their Pakistani signings.

This is not the first time the PCB has sought financial compensation in connection with NOCs for players participating in overseas franchise leagues. A similar debate emerged around the launch of the UAE-based International League T20 (ILT20).

The board’s reported position is linked to the benefits of reciprocal player availability arrangements between overseas competitions and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Under this approach, the PCB has reportedly considered whether overseas leagues and their host countries offer comparable opportunities for foreign players in the PSL.

A PCB official quoted in the report maintained that the reasoning behind the policy had not changed.

With the tournament approaching, the situation has placed the participation of several Pakistan internationals in doubt, potentially dealing a significant blow to franchises hoping to feature the country’s star players.

Pakistan players selected in the 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 Moqeem and Abbas Afridi (United Tigers).