With Global T20 Canada 2024 all set to start on July 25th, there has been some news making the rounds. As Pakistan’s top international cricketers are set to miss this emerging league. Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, wicketkeeper Mohammed Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi are all expected to miss the GT20 Canada league.
Babar, who was picked to play for the Vancouver Knights along with fellow cricketer Mohammed Rizwan, now seems unlikely to participate. Also, Shaheen Afridi, who was signed by the Toronto Nationals, is also unlikely to play in this league due to an NOC issue from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
ICC has not yet sanctioned GT20
It is important to note that GT20 has still not been sanctioned by the ICC, which could be a reason for the PCB’s denial of NOCs for these players. Since all these players are centrally contracted by the Pakistan Cricket Board, workload management is a concern.
In this scenario, the board may become stricter with these players to ensure they fulfill their national duties. Recently, Pakistan’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 made headlines. PCB would not want to see a repeat in the upcoming tours.
Packed national team schedule is also reason for NOC denial
As mentioned earlier, the PCB would not like to repeat the same fate as the T20 World Cup 2024. PCB wants its full-strength team to play all international games. Recently, several reports indicated that the PCB will not grant NOCs to any player who participates in all formats for Pakistan. And especially between October 2024 and May 2025. Pakistan is scheduled to play 37 matches across all formats during those seven months. Also, the Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan next year.
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