Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan can breath a sigh of relief. They have won the battle against Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on playing franchise cricket. Despite apprehensions from PSL franchises, PCB has issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to national team players, allowing them to participate in franchise league cricket.
According to a report from Cricket Pakistan, key players, including Pakistan’s T20I captain Shaheen Afridi, star batter Babar Azam, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, and pace bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr, have received NOCs for their involvement in the upcoming leagues.
Shaheen Afridi is scheduled to travel to the UAE after the T20I series against New Zealand to participate in the International League T20 (ILT20) for the Desert Vipers franchise. On the other hand, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan will head to Bangladesh to take part in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Babar Azam will join Rangpur Riders while Mohammad Rizwan will play for Comilla Victorians in the upcoming BPL season. Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman and Azam Khan have reportedly not received their NOCs yet. According to sources, this is due to the two players already participating in two leagues over the past year.
Shaheen Afridi and Co. are currently playing a 5-match T20I series against Kiwis. They’re behind 3-0 in the series with two matches left. The fourth T20I is scheduled for January 19, and the final match will be played on January 21.