Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir has been denied participation in this year’s T20 Blast after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declined to issue him a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
Despite not being selected for Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, Mir, who was supposed to represent Worcestershire Rapids, is unable to compete in the tournament.
The PCB’s decision as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is based on Mir’s three-year central contract with the board. This contract, in effect from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, permits centrally contracted players to engage in only two franchise T20 leagues per season along with the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Usama Mir’s participation in the Hundred in August 2023 and the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24 has already utilized his allowed leagues for the current contractual period.
Even though Mir hadn’t signed his central contract during his stint in the Hundred, it was retroactively dated to commence from July 1, 2023. Additionally, his brief involvement in the BBL was cut short after just five matches when he was called up to join the national squad for a T20I series in New Zealand.
The PCB stipulates that all NOCs are subject to national duties. Despite Mir’s desire to play in the Hundred and another league this season pending PCB approval his current contract restricts his participation.
