THE Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is allowing its players to return to the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), for which it had first delivered No-Objection Certificates.
The PCB had initially asked that the players return from the leagues to facilitate the playing of a World Series XI game, as well as the National T20 Cup. That competition has been rescheduled to November.

According to PCB Chairman, Najam Sethi, the National T20 Cup had to be rescheduled because of his organisation’s busy schedule.
“The World XI series was not officially confirmed when we set the dates for our domestic tournament,” said Sethi.

“That series falls right in the middle of when our competition would have been played. Then there’s a by-election (on September 17 on the seat of now-disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif) and after that the team has to go to the UAE, so the competition was squeezed out,” he added.

“As a result, we have moved it to November. An added advantage of this arrangement is that our players who are taking part in the CPL and other county matches will be able to take full part in those tournaments. This will make the players happy too, as well, as the CPL.”

The Tallawahs’ Imad Wasim, the Tridents’ Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz, the Trinbago Knight Riders’ Shadab Khan, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ Mohammad Hafeez and Hasan Ali, and the Warriors’ Babar Azam are all now free to return.