The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has denied NOC (No Objection Certificate) to leg-spinner Usama Mir for playing in the forthcoming season of the T20 Blast in England. Consequently, Mir won’t be seen representing Worcestershire Rapids in the T20 extravaganza despite a memorable outing with them in the previous season.
The 28-year-old leggie is not a part of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and therefore was expected to be available to play for the entire season of the T20 Blast.
Why has the PCB denied Usama Mir NOC?
Mir is one of the 25 players who have signed a central contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board for a period of three years and as per a report by ESPNcricinfo the PCB has confirmed that their centrally contracted players are only allowed to play two overseas T20 leagues in a one-year-long contractual cycle in addition to the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The current contractual cycle runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and Mir has already featured in two overseas T20 leagues, making him ineligible to participate in any more franchise competitions before June 30.
The Sialkot-born played for Manchester Originals in The Hundred (August 2023) and also participated in the Big Bash League (2023-24) for Melbourne Stars.
He was recalled to join the national team for a five-match T20I series against New Zealand after playing just five games in the BBL and hence was confident that he would get the nod from the board to fly to England for the T20 Blast.
However, the PCB is adamant that PSL and two overseas franchise competitions are the maximum that can be allowed for a player to participate in a year of the contractual cycle.
Rapids have signed West Indies’ leggie Hayden Walsh Jr. as the like-for-like replacement for Mir. Hayden is one of the five players, part of the travelling reserve for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
