The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has suspended all No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players, barring them from overseas T20 franchise leagues. The move came following Pakistan’s defeat against India in the cliffhanger Asia Cup 2025 final in the UAE on Sunday (September 28).
According to ESPNcricinfo‘s report, the PCB’s chief operating officer, Sumar Ahmad Syed, sent a notice Monday (September 29) to inform players and agents of the decision.
“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,” the notice read.
Seven players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi, are due to play in the Big Bash League (BBL) this season, which begins in December. There are also 18 Pakistani players on the shortlist for the ILT20 auction, scheduled on October 1 in the UAE. Three of those include Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman.
The reason behind the sudden move is yet to be revealed. The details around the NOCs and any possible exemptions, or how long they last, are not yet known. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s domestic first-class competition, is rescheduled to start in October. Notably, the tournament was originally scheduled to start on September 22.
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Pakistan will start their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with the two-match Test series against current champions South Africa at home. The PCB has announced the 18-member squad for the series, with Shaan Masood continuing as captain. The squad features three uncapped players – Rohail Nazir, Faisal Akram, and the 38-year-old Asif Afridi. In another notable change, Shaheen Shah Afridi has received a recall, but Naseem Shah was ignored again.
The first Test begins on October 12 in Lahore while the second game will be played in Rawalpindi from October 20. It will be followed by a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series.
Pakistan Squad for Two-Test Series vs South Africa: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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