PCB issues demonstrative cause notice to Pakistani players in the US.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued show cause notices to its players who are participating in the US minor leagues without obtaining the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC). The PCB has acted after Test player Fawad Alam moved to the US to play cricket and with the ultimate goal of establishing himself in the country.

At present several notable players including those who have represented Pakistan on the international circuit including Sohaib Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal, Hussain Talat, Ali Shafiq, Imad Butt, Usman Shanwari, Umaid Asif, Zeeshan Ashraf, Saif Badar, Mukhtar Ahmed and Nauman Anwar. They are playing in the United States.

These players did not get PCB NOC before heading to the US. Apart from Alam, other Pakistani players in some US leagues are Hassan Khan, Sami Aslam, Hammad Azam, Salman Arshad, Mussadiq Ahmed, Imran Khan Junior and Ali Nasir.

However, a source on the board confirmed that some players, including Alam, had visit visas and had informed the board before going to the US. An informed source said that some of the players, including Alam, already they applied for that category of visas that would eventually give them green cards within a year and a half, allowing them to settle in the US.

Alam’s father-in-law, a former batsman from Pakistan, Mansoor Akhtar is also a US citizen and settled in Houston. In the past, former players Sami Aslam, Hammad Azam, Nauman Anwar, Ramiz Raja settled in the US and are now green card holders.

Under US Minor League rules and regulations, a player is only eligible to play at home once they have retired from international cricket and home domestic cricket.

Players who do not want to withdraw from their international or domestic seasons are only entertained as “guest” players and their teams do not request green card status for them.

Initially, the US Minor League used to function as an organization, calling players to the US with their quota of work-based visas, which eventually led to their green card status.

But now, teams in the league have to directly invite players from their visa quota. The PCB had previously implemented a $10,000 stipulation to acquire a NOC before participating in foreign leagues, but US Minor League teams have apparently been reluctant to make such a high payment.

“In addition to the minor leagues, other cricket matches and tournaments take place throughout the year, especially on long weekends, and players are kept busy playing and training. And with the launch of the US Major League, the US is now a feasible destination for some Pakistani players who are overlooked at home,” the source said.