The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for Pakistan players. This means players cannot take part in T20 franchise leagues outside the country for now.
The PCB has not shared the exact reason for this step. However, a notice was issued by PCB CEO Sumair Ahmad Syed to players and agents.
Player Performance to decide NOCs: PCB
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the PCB plans to link NOCs to a performance-based system. National and domestic performances will be given more importance. The timeline of this evaluation is not clear yet. It is also not known if there will be any exemptions to this rule.
The notice read, “With the approval of Chairman PCB, all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players with respect to participation in leagues and other out of country tournaments are hereby put on hold until further orders,” as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
This decision may affect several big names. Seven Pakistan players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, were due to play in the 2025-26 Big Bash League in Australia.
For the upcoming ILT20 auction, there were 18 Pakistan players listed. This includes stars like Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah. Their participation is now uncertain.
The timing of this announcement comes right after Pakistan’s loss in the Asia Cup 2025 final. The team lost to India by five wickets in Dubai on September 28. In fact, all three of Pakistan’s defeats in the tournament came against India.
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Pakistan will now shift focus to their upcoming home series. The Green Shirts will host South Africa for two Tests, three T20Is and three ODIs. The Test squad has already been announced by the PCB.
Later this year, Pakistan are also scheduled to host Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in T20I series. The suspension of NOCs could mean that players will be more focused on national duty and domestic cricket instead of foreign leagues.
