LAHORE – Pakistani cricketers selected for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka and Australia will be required to leave the Big Bash League (BBL) to fulfil national commitments, the sources said on Wednesday.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issues conditional No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for foreign leagues, making it mandatory for players to remain available for national duty whenever required.
Sources said NOCs were granted to Pakistani players for the BBL from December 14 to January 28, with the approved players including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, and Hasan Ali.
Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, and Hassan Nawaz have been issued NOCs for the ILT20 until January 4.
However, during the same period, Pakistan’s T20 team is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for a three-match series on January 7, 9 and 11, 2026, in Dambulla. Later in January, Australia will tour Pakistan for another T20 series.
These back-to-back series are part of preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Sources indicate that if selected, the core T20 squad members will have to return from Australia to join the national side in Sri Lanka, making it unlikely that any of the regular squad players will be exempted from the Sri Lanka tour.
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