The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet approved No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for Pakistan captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi to participate in the Global T20 Canada league. Despite issuing NOCs to 12 players for different leagues on Tuesday, these three players, who are centrally contracted and in the top bracket, have not received clearance yet.
An official from the PCB mentioned, "The PCB is hesitant about the Global League's status and has requested additional information from the organisers and ICC. This is the reason for the delay in issuing NOCs."
The Global T20 Canada League is set to take place from July 25 to August 11, while Pakistan's Test series against Bangladesh at home commences around August 19.
The players who have been granted NOCs for other leagues include:
- Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan for the USA Major League (July 4 to 28)
- Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan for the ongoing Lanka Premier League, ending on July 21
- Fakhar Zaman for the Caribbean Premier League (August 29 to October 6)
- Usama Mir for the Hundred (July 23 to August 20)
- Mohammad Amir for county cricket
Interestingly, Saim Ayub and Azam Khan have not been given the green light for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Shadab, Salman, and Hasnain are already in Sri Lanka participating in their respective leagues.