PCB grants limited NOCs to players for BBL 13 participation
Three Pakistan players are slated to represent Melbourne Stars in BBL
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to three players - Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, and Zaman Khan - enabling their participation in the upcoming season 13 of the Big Bash League (BBL).
However, in a deviation from the norm, these NOCs are tailored for specific matches rather than the entirety of the event.
The decision to grant limited NOCs stems from the PCB's meticulous consideration of the players' workload and their future commitments.
"The PCB understands that this decision is in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved while balancing the importance of game time with workload management," PCB said in a press release.
Haris Rauf, a key figure in Pakistan's pace attack, has been permitted to feature in five matches. Similarly, Usama Mir (Melbourne Stars) and Zaman Khan (Sydney Thunders) have received NOCs for five and four matches, respectively.
In a bid to balance their participation and national commitments, these NOCs have been allocated within a specific timeframe. National cricketers have been cleared to participate in Australia's premier tournament between December 7 and December 28.
Melbourne Stars will be relieved now after they were awaiting clearance for the participation of Haris Rauf. They summoned England's Olly Stone to fill the gap of Haris, who had already landed in Melbourne for the BBL.
Earlier, Stars announced the signing of recently-retired Pakistan star Imad Wasim, who will join the side as a replacement of England's Liam Dawson.
"With Liam available for the first three matches, we identified Imad as a player who could come in and perform a role for us with his left-arm spin and lengthen our batting lineup," said Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing lots of Pakistan fans in the crowd at the MCG with Imad joining his former national teammates, Usama Mir and Haris Rauf."
Melbourne Stars squad for BBL 13 comprises Scott Boland, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Dawson (England), Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Usama Mir (Pakistan), Joel Paris, Haris Rauf (Pakistan), Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Imad Wasim (Pakistan) and Beau Webster.
The BBL is scheduled to run from December 7, 2023, to January 24 next year.
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