Pakistan players unhappy with PCB policies

Pakistan players are quite unhappy with the PCB, and the reason is unfair policies regarding the issuance of NOCs for T20 leagues across the world. Franchise cricket has changed how we view and enjoy cricket. For the first time, these leagues have taken cricket to the multi-billion dollar level. For the players, these leagues are opportunities to make more money. However, it also resulted in players getting injured left and right. You all saw that during the CWC 2023. That is why, PCB had some policies in place to manage the player’s workload. However, players are now questioning everything. Read more to know what are players’ complaints regarding this system.

Different criteria for different players – Not fair

During July 2023, PCB issued new central contracts where the board awarded hefty amounts to the players. However, the money came with certain terms and conditions. The policy that is under scrutiny right now is that the central contract players can only get NOC for 2 T20 franchise leagues a year.

However, the players are complaining that PCB is not following this policy. Some players have played more than two leagues, and they still got NOC for more leagues. However, some players were shunned because they completed the quota. Players deem this as an “unfair” attitude.

These complaints surfaced when certain players weren’t issued NOCs for BPL and ILT20.

For example, Azam and Shadab were issued the NOC to play even if they had completed their quota. Meanwhile, Mohammad Haris had to come back from Bangladesh without playing even a single BPL match.

Players might withdraw from central contracts

In the light of these events, players are even considering withdrawing from the central contracts. And it favours them too. Playing a T20 league earns them more money than playing for the national side in a bilateral series.

There were also talks about how PCB measures the workload. Remember that PCB is doing all of this in the guise of managing the player’s workload. However, players are asking for the standards by which the board measures a player’s fitness and the amount of work their bodies can handle. So far, PCB has no checks in mind other than the number of leagues the players can sign up for.

However, the players are asking that if there are no international commitments, how can PCB bar them from playing in the international leagues?

PCB might reconsider its policy

The spokesperson from the media claimed that it is all because of irregularities in the board right now. Without a permanent chairman, there cannot be uniformity in the policies. Because the chairman must execute these policies. With a new chairman, there might be changes in the policies and players might get fair terms and conditions.

In my personal opinion, this argument is flawed. No matter the chairman, policies should be long-term.

Conclusion

The T20 World Cup is going to start on 1 June this year. And T20 leagues are best to prepare the youngsters for the mega event. However, the lack of a T20 bilateral series makes it hard for the board to not issue NOCs to the players for the franchise leagues all over the world. It isn’t logical to stop your players when you are not even setting up international matches for them. PCB and the players must find a common ground to solve these issues. Otherwise, players might consider moving out of the country or thinking about early retirement.