PCB Deny NOC to Naseem Shah For Participation in The Hundred 2024 - Report

Add as a preferred source on Google

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly denied No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Naseem Shah for the young pacer's participation in the upcoming The Hundred tournament, scheduled to start from July 24.

The 21-year-old Pakistan pacer was drafted in for £125,000 by Birmingham Phoenix during The Hundred Draft 2024, which was held earlier this year in March. But, now Phoenix may have to make do without one of their overseas stars.

According to a report in Geo News, PCC has decided not to grant pacer Naseem Shah the clearance to play in The Hundred under workload management and to prevent him any injury as he is viewed as important member in all formats for the national team.

Naseem underwent surgery in October 2023 to treat his shoulder injury. Due to the surgery, he was ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023, which saw Pakistan crash out in the group stage.

After his surgery, doctors advised him to rest and undergo rehabilitation for a period of four to six weeks before making his return to the field. This injury kept him out of action for at least three to four months.

The 21-year-old returned to action in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 earlier this year, when he was part of the Islamabad United side that went on to clinch the title.

Since his return, Naseem has also featured for the national side in the T20I series that followed and was aslo part of the T20 World Cup squad. He is also expected to part of Pakistan's next assignment.

Pakistan are set to play crucial World Test Championship matches in the coming months. They will engage in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which will kick off on August 21.

While Naseem was denied NOC for participation in The Hundred, only Usama Mir has officially been granted permission so far by the PCB to participate in the 100-ball tournament.

Shaheen Afridi and Imad Wasim, who were also roped in to different sides during the draft, are also yet to receive their NOC for their participation in the men's Hundred 2024.

Earlier reports suggested that PCB will deny NOC to Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen for their participation in the Global T20 Canada. There is no official update on the same, but PCB has hinted NOC will be granted once GT20 gets ICC approval.