Top Pakistani cricketers selected for the upcoming T20 series against Sri Lanka and Australia will have to miss the Big Bash League (BBL) due to national duty.
Reports quoted officials as saying that BBL 2025–26 season begins on December 19, and no-objection certificates (NOCs) were issued from December 14 to January 28 for several Pakistani stars.
However, the NOCs for foreign league are always conditional and players must remain fully available for Pakistan.
Earlier, Babar Azam signed with Sydney Sixers, Mohammad Rizwan with Melbourne Renegades, Shaheen Shah Afridi with Brisbane Heat, Haris Rauf with Melbourne Stars, Shadab Khan with Sydney Thunder and Hasan Ali with Adelaide Strikers.
Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah and Hassan Nawaz, on the other hand, received NOCs for other leagues until January 4.
Scheduling, however, creates a direct clash. Pakistan will play three T20Is in Sri Lanka on January 7, 9 and 11 in Dambulla. Later in January, Australia will tour Pakistan for a T20 series.
Both series are key steps in preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Selectors are unlikely to exempt any main squad members from national due to the World Cup build-up. This means players chosen for Pakistan’s T20 squads will have to leave their BBL teams and join the national side instead.