Cricket

Denied Foreign Leagues NOCs Pakistani athletes considering leaving the national team

Denied Foreign Leagues NOCs Pakistani athletes considering leaving the national team

By Kajal Sharma - 29 Jan 2024 11:50 AM

The current PCB policy, which was finalized under Zaka Ashraf's leadership, permits centrally contracted players to participate in two overseas T20 competitions in addition to the PSL.Following their refusal of NoCs to play in overseas T20 tournaments, a few of Pakistan's best cricket players are considering ending their core contracts with the board. The majority of the centrally contracted players, according to sources in the club management, are angry with the board for denying them permission to play in foreign competitions even though they are not bound by any national service obligations.

"The matter has come to a head because recently the board refused NOCs to some players including Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Haris (all centrally contracted) to play in the Bangladesh Premier League on the grounds that they had already played two leagues besides the Pakistan Super League," according to a source.He claimed that centrally contracted players would be permitted to participate in two overseas T20 competitions in addition to the PSL, per the existing PCB regulation that was finalized under Zaka Ashraf's leadership."But for the players who are not centrally contracted there is no such binding unless they are required on national duty." But when it comes to giving NOCs, the majority of contractual players think the board is acting in accordance with a contradictory policy that is determined by whims and fancies."The players feel that when there is no Pakistan assignment before the PSL why should the board stop them from playing in other leagues where they have good contracts," a another insider stated."The players' grouse is that the PCB does not even pay them anything to cover the losses of contracts not accepted because of PCB policies." There may be additional earning opportunities for players because of the proliferation of profitable T20 leagues in the cricket globe. Currently, three leagues—the BPL, the International Emirates League in the United Arab Emirates, and the South Africa 20 League—are staged concurrently.According to a board official, players who adhere to league caps will receive compensation. This is because, under the terms of their central contracts, players receive a substantial monthly payment from the board regardless of whether they play or not."The top category players are getting paid around 6 million rupees salary, those in category B get around 4.8 million so why are they complaining," asked a source. However, an agent for one of the players said that the board withheld high taxes from their pay and that elite players were receiving offers to earn anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 for participating in five or more league games. "Are you aware of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi's contract values for the BPL and ILT? All that needs to be said is that one of them has a contract worth USD 300,000, or between 75 and 80 million rupees." He added that players who lacked financial resources relied heavily on the leagues as a source of income."I think when the new Chairman takes over there will be proper discussions between the players and board to resolve this NOCs issue."

 

Newsletter

Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated every moment