LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday, granted No Objection Certificate (NOC) to nine national cricketers, including Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, to participate in different franchise leagues.
Amir and Imad, who were the notable absentees from Pakistan’s squad for the T20I series against Australia and Zimbabwe, are all set to participate in the Abu Dhabi T10 League 2024 as they, alongside Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Usman Tariq and Salman Irshad, have been given a go-ahead by the PCB.
Amir and Asif will represent New York Strikers in the upcoming tournament, while Imad is a part of Morrisville Samp Army’s squad.
Iftikhar and Salman Irshad, on the other hand, will play for Bangla Tigers and Delhi Bulls respectively.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s newly-appointed white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, set to lead a fresh-look squad in the three-match away T20I series against Australia, acknowledged the void created by the absence of experienced players like Fakhar Zaman, Imad, Amir and Iftikhar.
"The names you've mentioned, it's not easy to fill the gap they have left. You can’t replace them overnight; it takes time. All four have contributed a lot to the team, and it's hard to say how long it will take to fill their roles in the Pakistan lineup fully,” said Rizwan, while addressing the pre-series press conference on Wednesday.
Furthermore, the cricket board also granted NOC to Hassan Khan for the Global Super League (GSL), International League T20 (ILT20) and Big Bash League (BBL), for which leg-spinner Usama Mir has also received the nod.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.- Mohammad Amir
- Imad Wasim
