NOC impasse over as Pakistan players set to play the BBL season as CA chief says approval has come through.
Pakistan players cleared to play BBL after NOC uncertainty.
After worries that they might be affected by the PCB’s refusal to grant No Objection Certificates for international events, Pakistani players with BBL deals have been granted permission to participate in the league.
Players and agents were notified by PCB chief operational officer Sumair Ahmad Syed in late September that the board had decided to prohibit players from participating in T20 leagues. Todd Greenberg, the CEO of Cricket Australia, did, however, confirm on Saturday that the Pakistani players will show up for the BBL on time.
“That came through last week,” Greenberg said. “So they’ll all be playing, they’ve all been cleared to play, which we’re really excited about because we’ve got some great Pakistan players in the BBL, so looking forward to seeing them here this summer.”
Hasan Ali (Adelaide Strikers), Mohammad Rizwan (Melbourne Renegades), Haris Rauf (Melbourne Stars), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Brisbane Heat), Babar Azam (Sydney Sixers), and Shadab Khan (Sydney Thunder) have contracts for the competition, which starts on December 14 and ends on January 25.
The matches between Babar and Shaheen, which are scheduled for January 5 and 18, are highly anticipated. When the Pakistani players play the Sydney Thunder, they will also face R Ashwin, who will be in the same side as Shadab.
After Ashwin was not purchased at the ILT20 auction, Thunder’s signing of him was a major turning point for the BBL, as the contract became season-long. Virat Kohli’s name is unsurprisingly high on the list despite the fact that he hasn’t spoken much about his future, raising questions about if more Indian players will follow Ashwin’s example of retiring to pursue chances abroad.
“Short, medium term I think it is realistic over time,” Greenberg said of whether more Indian players could join the league. “We’re going to keep the dialogue open. I think that Ravichandran Ashwin coming is a really important moment for the BBL and it will highlight the strength of bringing Indian players into the league. What that manifests over time I think is to be seen. Some of that will depend on whether we take private capital into the BBL which is an open conversation for us at the moment.