Bangladesh Cricket Board officials announced on Thursday that they have issued No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to several national cricketers to participate in multiple franchise leagues following the postponement of the upcoming white-ball series against Afghanistan.
Earlier reports from Cricpulse indicated uncertainty surrounding the Afghanistan series, with discussions ongoing between BCB and ACB officials to reschedule the matches.
Originally planned for July, the series was deferred due to concerns over anticipated rainfall in Greater Noida during that period.
BCB had initially confirmed the rescheduling of their all-format away series against Afghanistan, which was supposed to include two Tests along with three ODIs and three T20Is following the ICC T20 World Cup.
Subsequently, ACB proposed a revised itinerary, outlining three ODIs and three T20Is to be held in Greater Noida between July 25 and August 6.
Following mutual agreement between both boards to reschedule, BCB proceeded to grant NOCs to cricketers who had applied for permission to participate in franchise-based T20 tournaments.
Shahriar Nafees, overseeing BCB’s cricket operations, clarified the decision: “We were not prepared to proceed with the series in July due to weather concerns in Greater Noida, as per the weather reports.
After agreeing to reschedule the series at a more suitable time, we decided to issue NOCs to our cricketers upon their applications.”
He further addressed speculations regarding player commitment, stating, “The issuance of NOCs yesterday (June 25) does not indicate any reluctance from players to fulfill national duties.
They applied for NOCs once it became evident that the white-ball series against Afghanistan would not proceed as scheduled in July.”
Several players, including Taskin Ahmed, Towhid Hridoy, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, and Rishad Hossain, have been selected to participate in various franchise leagues such as the Lanka Premier League (from July 1-21) and the Global T20 Canada League (beginning July 25).
Shakib Al Hasan is also expected to feature in Major League Cricket for Los Angeles Knight Riders, starting from July 5.
Meanwhile, an ACB official informed Cricpulse that July remains the only available window for the white-ball series, with plans to reschedule the two Tests for a later date to accommodate Afghan cricketers participating in the LPL, Canada Global T20 League, and MLC.
Leave a Reply