Mohammad Hasnain has become the latest player from Pakistan to be denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which will rule out the pacer from the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
The 22-year-old was set to don the colours of Galle Gladiators, a team owned by Pakistan Super League’s franchise Quetta Gladiators.
Mohammad Hasnain being denied a NOC is not a punishment but a vote of confidence of sorts. Before Hasnain, Mohammad Amir and Azam Khan were denied NOCs as well but for completely different reasons.
The governing body of cricket in Pakistan reportedly wants the young fast bowler to focus on the domestic circuit and wants the upcoming Pakistan Cup to be the player’s main priority which will be held from December 10th to January 3rd.
With Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf on the sidelines with injuries, Pakistan is short on fast bowling options and this is where Hasnain enters the picture.
He may be asked to shoulder the burden with Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim jr for the foreseeable future until Pakistan gets its pace battery back to full health.
Hasnain, despite not playing a game at the T20 World Cup, was part of the squad which shows the management’s confidence in his abilities.
Galle Gladiators, meanwhile, have called up Wahab Riaz as Hasnain’s replacement.
A strong contingent of Pakistani players is playing at the LPL with Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, and Anwar Ali all representing Gladiators while Shoaib Malik is representing Jaffna Kings with Haider Ali and Ahmed Daniyal playing for Dambulla Aura.
