Pakistani duo Imad Wasim and Azam Khan have reportedly signed a deal-in-principle to join Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Seattle Orcas for the opening season.
It was recently reported that MLC was in contact with Pakistani players for taking part in its inaugural season in July and that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is willing to issue NOCs if it is compensated financially.
The league is allegedly in talks with two regular members of Pakistan’s limited-overs squad.
Imad and Azam do not have central contracts with PCB meaning that their participation in MLC for the Orcas may be easier to arrange than the international superstars.
The first season of the MLC is set to take place from July 13th to 30th which overlaps with Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka for two test matches. The tests are likely to be replaced by ODIs to prepare for the Asia Cup and the World Cup making it unlikely any Pakistan international cricketer with a contract will feature in MLC.
Pakistan already has a strong presence in the league consisting of former players.
Seattle Orcas are partially owned by the GMR Group, the co-owners of the Delhi Capitals.
There has always been a sense that Pakistani players miss out on foreign leagues due to a strong ownership presence from Indian conglomerates as in the SA20 and the ILT20.
