Naseem Shah could miss Rs. 1.35 crore deal at The Hundred after PCB denies NOC - Report
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly denied the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to pacer Naseem Shah which will stop him from participating in the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s white-ball league The Hundred.
According to Geo News, the PCB has cited "workload management", claiming that rejecting Naseem's NOC is a preventive measure against injuries ahead of the crucial matches of the ongoing 2023-25 World Test Championship.
The report added that the decision was further swayed by Naseem's importance across formats and his bout with injury last year. This would mean that Birmingham Phoenix, who signed him for £125,000 (or almost ₹1.35 crore), would now look for an urgent replacement before the tournament starts on July 23.
Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie recently spoke about the need for Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi's workload management.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are multi-format cricketers and also participate in franchise cricket. They cannot play every match. We'll try to give them rest in less important matches. Over the past year, Shaheen has bowled three times more than Mitchell Starc. How can he manage such a workload? We need to take care of him,” said Gillespie, as quoted by journalist Saj Sadiq on X.
Naseem suffered a shoulder injury during the 2023 Asia Cup which forced him to have surgery and miss the 2023 World Cup in India.
Naseem crucial for Bangladesh Tests as Afridi might pull out due to personal reasons
Pakistan will play two Tests against Bangladesh starting August 21 before meeting England in a three-Test series in October. Naseem's importance has perhaps also been increased because left-arm quick Afridi could miss the Bangladesh Tests.
"Shaheen can miss Bangladesh Test matches due to childbirth. We can give him (some) rest if he wants to stay with his wife till then," Geo News had quoted Gillispie as saying recently.
Pakistan are currently fifth in the WTC table with 22 points after five Tests.