The cricketing world was taken aback when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to young pacer Naseem Shah for his participation in the upcoming The Hundred tournament.

The Hundred tournament

The Hundred, a revolutionary 100-ball cricket tournament in England, has garnered massive attention since its inception. This year, Birmingham Phoenix drafted Naseem Shah for a substantial sum of £125,000, reflecting their belief in his potential to be a game-changer.

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Reasons for NOC denial

The PCB’s decision to withhold Shah’s NOC primarily revolves around workload management and injury prevention. Given his recent injury history and the rigorous demands of international cricket, the board aims to ensure that Shah remains fit and available for crucial national duties.

Naseem Shah’s shoulder injury

Naseem Shah underwent shoulder surgery in October 2023, an injury that unfortunately sidelined him from the ICC World Cup 2023, where Pakistan’s campaign ended prematurely. The surgery required an extensive rehabilitation period of four to six weeks, followed by a gradual return to competitive cricket.

Naseem Shah’s Return to Cricket

After months of recovery, Shah made a triumphant return to the field during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024, where he played a pivotal role in Islamabad United’s title-winning campaign. His subsequent performances for the national team in T20Is and the T20 World Cup underscored his resilience and skill, reaffirming his importance to Pakistan cricket.

PCB’s stance on player workload

The PCB has consistently emphasized the importance of managing player workload to prevent injuries and ensure peak performance during critical matches. With key international fixtures on the horizon, including the World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh, the board is keen to keep its top players in optimal condition.

Impact on Birmingham Phoenix

The denial of NOC to Naseem Shah is a significant blow for Birmingham Phoenix, who had high hopes for the young pacer’s contributions. The team will now need to reassess their strategy and possibly look for a replacement to fill the void left by Shah’s absence.

Other players affected by PCB’s decisions

While Naseem Shah’s NOC was denied, Usama Mir has been granted permission to participate in The Hundred. However, other prominent Pakistani players like Shaheen Afridi and Imad Wasim are still awaiting their NOCs. Earlier reports indicated that NOCs for players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the Global T20 Canada were also under consideration, pending ICC approval.

Quetta Gladiators have quashed rumors surrounding the potential trade of young fast bowler Naseem Shah to Peshawar Zalmi ahead of the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Nabeel Hashmi, the Head of Player Acquisition and Media for Quetta Gladiators, directly addressed the circulating rumor, putting an end to speculations.

The buzz around Naseem Shah intensified as Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, and Peshawar Zalmi actively engaged with fans about the possible acquisition of the 20-year-old pacer, featuring him prominently in their social media campaigns.Adding fuel to the fire, Peshawar Zalmi’s chairman, Javed Afridi, shared an Instagram story hinting at a trade deal that involved three players—Saim Ayub, Haseebullah, and Mohammad Haris—in exchange for Naseem Shah.

Nabeel Hashmi promptly debunked the rumor, addressing it on social media and emphasizing the falsity of claims suggesting an ‘unreasonable demand’ for player trades. He asserted that no franchise could make such demands from another, putting an end to the circulating misinformation.

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Quetta Gladiators Deny Naseem Shah Trade Amidst PSL 2024 Speculations

Recent reports suggest that Naseem Shah has chosen not to continue with Quetta Gladiators, and a trade agreement with Islamabad United is reportedly in its final stages at 90%. In response, Gladiators are reportedly eyeing Azam Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr. as part of their strategic moves in the upcoming PSL edition.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is gearing up to host the PSL 2024 draft in Lahore on December 14. The PCB had earlier opened the registration window for foreign players, and franchises are set to finalize retentions after submitting relegation requests for players.

As the anticipation builds for PSL 2024, Quetta Gladiators have disclosed the categories for their players, with Naseem Shah and Iftikhar Ahmed listed as Platinum, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hafeez, and Sarfaraz Ahmed as Diamond, and others categorized accordingly based on their standing in the team. The unfolding trade dynamics and team strategies are set to make the upcoming PSL season highly anticipated among cricket enthusiasts.

Coming into the DP World Asia Cup, it was felt that pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi’s void in the line-up would be sorely felt, especially in the high-octane fixture against arch-rivals India. After all, the tall quick had towered India the last time the two teams met at the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year. Pakistan, well known for producing fast bowling gems, did have good pacers in the Asia Cup squad but a majority of them are relatively young and lack experience.

But that didn’t stop them from uncovering another gem who would probably go on and serve Pakistan cricket for a long time. Naseem Shah, all of 19, and making his T20 International debut, ensured that Pakistan didn’t miss Shaheen’s services. Naseem, born in Lower Dir, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rattled India with his sheer pace and aggression.

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Naseem shows why being so young he still made it to the Asia Cup

Opening the attack, Naseem’s raw pace saw Indian opener KL Rahul play on to his stumps off the second ball. He then posed questions to star Indian batsman Virat Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Later on, Naseem disturbed Suryakumar Yadav’s furniture with a peach of a delivery.

And his skipper Babar Azam couldn’t have asked for more as he showered glowing praise on the youngster. “Fast bowlers are always pumped up and they have a lot of aggression,” said Azam. “We did miss Shaheen (Shah Afridi) but the way Naseem started, he made sure we didn’t feel Shaheen’s absence. Also at the death, he bowled extremely well,” he added.

Naseem is not new to international cricket. He has played 13 Tests since 2019, taking 33 wickets at an average of 36.3 and three One-Day Internationals with 10 wickets at an average of 11.1. This should be just the start in what should be an illustrious career for Pakistan. Meanwhile, with a low-score to defend, Azam said that it was vital to take the game deep so that they stand a chance. And the Pakistan bowling attack, backed up by some tight fielding, did that and almost pulled it off.

“Our plan was to take the game deep, it would be better for us and the way Naseem bowled was fantastic. Even at the start, he was fantastic and he got us crucial wickets and he also bowled very well at the death. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish with a positive result for our side. But, we also have to give credit to (Mohammad) Nawaz, the way he bowled that last over. It was a pressure game and unfortunately, we couldn’t get over the line,” said Azam.

SL vs PAK, 2nd Test, Day 2: Pakistan 15 for 1 (Asitha 1-7) trail Sri Lanka 378 (Chandimal 80, Dickwella 51, Oshada 50, Naseem 3-58) by 363 runs.

Naseem Shah blew away the short-term pair with a fearsome morning spell, and Yasir Shah guaranteed the last two wickets. Yet, obstruction from Ramesh Mendis, who hit 35 and set up tenth and eleventh wicket partnerships amounting to 45, guaranteed that Sri Lanka’s lower order didn’t totally self-destruct on the subsequent morning.

Then, on the second ball of Pakistan’s innings, Asitha Fernando got Abdullah Shafique to play one back on to his stumps. Pakistan may perhaps be more joyful with their morning’s work, having held Sri Lanka to 378 when a sum of more than 400 was possible when play started. However, Sri Lanka has not permitted Pakistan to move away from them.

It was Naseem’s short ball that roughed Sri Lanka’s lower order up.

Fourth over of the day, he sent a horrendous bouncer at the throat of debutant Dunith Wellalage, who attempted to dodge under, however could battle the ball to second slip as it kept on following him. He was out for 11, Babar Azam effectively getting under that looping catch.

Niroshan Dickwella completed a 22nd half-century soon after, however was out to one more bouncer in Naseem’s next over. This one was not too coordinated a short ball, and was passing down leg. Dickwella’s endeavours to assist it with aiding it around the bend came about just in an edge to the wicketkeeper, nonetheless. He was out for 51 off 54 balls, having started the day on 42.

Ramesh’s first boundary came from an inside edge past the stumps, off Naseem, however he soon started to find the boundary intentionally, generally with some variety of the range shot. He hit progressive fours through square leg off Mohammad Nawaz, and, surprisingly, pummelling Yasir over wide lengthy on for six, with a trudge clear. His partnership with Prabath Jayasuriya was worth 20; with No. 11 Asitha Fernando, 25.

Yasir ended the Sri Lanka innings when he snuck a topspinner through Ramesh’s protections, toward the finish of the 103rd over. Yasir had likewise got a progressing Prabath Jayasuriya lbw on audit, and got done with 3 for 83 from the innings. Naseem, who had additionally taken two wickets in this session, got done with 3 for 58 from his 18 overs, having dazzled through pieces of the very beginning too.

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The Asitha ball to get Shafique had pitched on a length right external off stump, and the player had been attached to the wrinkle as he pushed out at it – the resultant inside edge cannoning once again into middle and leg. In spite of the fact that Pakistan needed to bat out just five overs before lunch, Sri Lanka actually figured out how to consume a survey in that period, taking a shot against Babar, who had progressed excessively far down the track against Jayasuriya for the umpire’s decision to be overturned.

Babar and Imam-ul-Haq had each hit a boundary before the break, however neither had reached double figures.