Nepal Premier League NOC Row: PCB Accused of Demanding a $25,000 Fee for Each Pakistani Player
Pakistani cricketers' participation in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) has been thrown into uncertainty by a dispute over no-objection certificates (NOCs). The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has for now suspended permission to play in the league even for cricketers who had previously received clearance. Several sources connected with the tournament claim the PCB is asking for money in exchange for the clearances.
According to a Cricinfo report, the PCB has demanded a fee of about US$25,000 for each Pakistani cricketer in return for an NOC. The outlet could not confirm, however, whether such a demand had been made formally to the league authorities. The PCB did not immediately respond when contacted for comment.
The eight-team NPL is scheduled from October 26 to November 21. Several Pakistani cricketers travelling to play in the tournament have already reached Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. Others are reported to have postponed their travel until the problem is resolved. It is still not clear whether the alleged fee is the main reason behind the NOC complication.
Those due to play in the NPL include Pakistan's T20 captain Sahibzada Farhan, as well as Haider Ali, Hunain Shah, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali and Usama Mir. None of them is currently part of a Pakistan squad whose international schedule clashes with the NPL timetable.
Earlier this year the PCB announced a new central contract structure with separate categories for Test and limited-overs cricket. The structure includes a division called 'Format Track D', whose players are to be considered T20 specialists. Cricketers in that division are supposed to have the freedom to play in various T20 leagues when there is no clash with international duty.
The PCB has not officially published whether the new contract structure has taken effect or which player belongs to which division. As a result, the uncertainty over when the NOC complication for Pakistani cricketers in the NPL will be resolved has not lifted.
