LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Thursday issued NOCs to six players to play in the newly-introduced Masters Champions League (MCL).
According to PCB spokesman, the board issues NOCs to six players including Abdul Razzaq, Hameed, Saleem Elahi, M Khalil, Rana Naved and Hamayun Farhat.
NOCs to these players were issued when they announced retirement from international cricket and tendered their resignations to the PCB. Test and international cricketers Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Humayun Farhat and M Khalil have handed their resignations to the PCB while Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar and M Yousuf are likely to announce retirement from international cricket to join the MCL starting in the UAE next month.
As none of them was selected in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), also starting in the UAE from Feb 4 and clashing with the MCL, they were forced to announce retirement from international cricket in order to not miss an earning opportunity they are getting at MCL.
Had the PSL teams selected at least in-form players like Taufiq, Imran, Khalil, currently playing domestic cricket for their respective departments, the PCB would not have dumped these players, who could still play for Pakistan. Recently, Taufiq hit a double century in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy for SNGPL.