There is a serious rift developing between the players and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the players' refusal to have their NOCs extended for league play. According to a source within the PCB, certain players were not happy with the board's contradictory policies when it came to giving players' NOCs to play in international leagues on Sunday. Players participating in the ILT20 and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2024) have asked the PCB to extend their notice of availability (NOC) to allow them to finish their commitments in time for overseas league for the Pakistan Super League 2024 (PSL), which kicks off on February 17. However, the players were made aware by the PCB that their NOCs would not be extended and that they would need to return following the original schedule.
Pakistan stars on confrontation path with PCB. Report claims reason is...https://t.co/3cgynLBJVN pic.twitter.com/IxBnGo2D4P
— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) February 4, 2024
“The problem is that there are different conditions and return dates given to the players which has caused the problems.
While the majority of players have to return by February 7, some players can return on the 11th and some even on the 16th and this is causing frustration among the players,”
~the source said
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Muhammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Shadab Khan Aamer Jamal Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Hasnain, Ahmed Shehzad, and Shoaib Malik are some of the Pakistani players busy in the two leagues.
Since the PSL wouldn't start until February 17, several of those players had petitioned the PCB for an extension in their respective leagues. However, the home board refused to give in and instead asked them to return for pre-PSL exercises with their respective teams.
Players with central contracts and those without have received orders from the PCB to head back home.