LAHORE: Test and international cricketers, namely Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Humayun Farhat and Mohammad Khalil, have announced retirement from international cricket to fulfil a requirement for getting NOC from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play in the newly introduced Masters Champions League (MCL).

Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar and Mohammad Yousuf — three other Test cricketers — are also likely to officially announce retirement from international cricket to join the MCL starting in the UAE next month.

Humayun, Naved and Khalil met PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed on Wednesday to hand him their resignation from international cricket.

As none of them was selected in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), also starting in the UAE from Feb 4 and clashing with the MCL, they were forced to announce retirement from international cricket in order to not miss an earning opportunity they are getting at MCL.

Condition for playing in MCL may trigger more resignations

Had the PSL teams selected at least in-form players like Taufiq, Imran, Khalil, currently playing domestic cricket for their respective departments, the PCB would not have dumped these players, who could still play for Pakistan. Recently, Taufiq hit a double century in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy for SNGPL.

Meanwhile, the PCB issued on Wednesday a press release, stating: “In view of the requests for NOCs from various Pakistan cricketers, it is clarified that the PCB will issue NOCs only to those cricketers who have announced and confirmed their irrevocable resignation and retirement from international cricket on behalf of Pakistan in writing to the PCB. Such cricketers will, however, remain eligible to play in domestic cricket as per rules.

“It may be noted that the MCL comprising retired cricketers is scheduled to take place in the UAE next month, during the same dates and at the same venues as the PSL.

“For this reason the PCB has formulated a policy to govern the participation of Pakistan players in the MCL. Keeping in view this direct clash in dates and venues and the resulting consequence that any Pakistan players featuring in the MCL pose a direct competition to the PSL and the PCB, the policy did not allow for NOCs to be issued freely to Pakistan players wishing to participate in the MCL and instead a criteria was put in place,” the Board press release concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2016