KARACHI: Pakistan cricketers who are currently participating in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the English domestic season have been asked to cut short their stints in the wake of late finalisation and rescheduling of the ICC World XI series to be played in mid-September, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Friday.

“The centrally-contracted players were given permission for participation in the CPL and English county season subject to recall if the World XI series took place mid September, they are now being recalled owing to the changes in schedule brought about due to the change in the original World XI tour of Pakistan plan,” the PCB stated in a media release.

Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Babar Azam, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal are currently competing in the CPL.

While national captain Sarfraz Ahmed, ICC Champions Trophy final hero Fakhar Zaman and pace spearhead Mohammad Amir are representing different counties in England.

During its annual meeting in June this year, the International Cricket Council had confirmed sending a World XI side for a three-match T20 series to be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, as a move to resume top flight cricket in Pakistan.

The original plan was for the series to conclude in the last week of September. However, election on NA-120 seat -- which fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister in its July 28 verdict -- on Sept 17 and also Pakistan’s series against Sri Lanka in the UAE that starts on Sept 24 and the adequate preparation time needed for it, has forced the World XI series to be rescheduled.

“The series has been brought forward to mid-September instead of last week of September because the Punjab government wants it to be held before the NA-120 election on Sept 17. It can’t be held after Sept 17 because there is no time to both hold the series and also give national team head coach Mickey Arthur time for training the team before the series starts with Sri Lanka on Sept 24,” the release added.

The players will now have to report to Arthur for a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy on Aug 22, followed by a pre-series training camp, conducted by the Pakistan team management, ahead of the ICC World XI T20 matches.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2017