PCB recalls 13 players from CPL, English county circuit

Lahore, Pakistan - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has abruptly revoked No-Objection Certificates given to 13 players currently in England and the West Indies and has asked them to return home to fulfill national and domestic commitments.

The board had originally given as many as ten players, including seven centrally contracted cricketers, permission to play the entire Caribbean Premier League (CPL) - which began on August 4 and runs until September 9.

Three cricketers without central contracts - Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Sami - have also been asked to return after they were selected by Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Lahore Whites for the National T20 Cup .

The same notices went out to Mohammad Amir, who was to stay with Essex until September, Sarfraz Ahmed, who was to play five games for Yorkshire in the Natwest T20 Blast, and Fakhar Zaman, who was set to join Somerset until the end of the season.

"The centrally contracted players were given permission to participate in the CPL and English county season subject to recall if the World XI series took place in mid-September," the PCB said in a statement.

"So they are being recalled owing to the changes in the schedule brought about due to the change in the original plan of the World XI's tour of Pakistan."

The World XI's visit - subject to security clearance - was originally scheduled for the last week of September but it has been brought forward into a window between September 10 and 16.

This change was made to ensure the series would not clash with a high profile by-election in Lahore on September 17, coming in the wake of the Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from the post of Prime Minister last month.

However, the final call over the World XI matches is expected to be taken by the government.

Pakistan is also set to travel to the UAE from September 21 for a full series against Sri Lanka. Amid this tight schedule, the PCB announced a National T20 Championship running from August 25 to September 10.

The returning players have been asked to report to the National Cricket Academy for fitness and medical tests under coach Micky Arthur's supervision on August 22. Pakistan players called back (from the CPL): Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Babar Azam, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal. From England: Sarfraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Amir.

The players are being recalled owing to the changes in the schedule of World XI’s tour of Pakistan

PCB statement