The England and Wales Cricket Board have warned Hundred teams disciplinary action will be taken if there is any evidence of discrimination during the player recruitment process.
Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, sent an email to each of the eight organisations on Sunday reminding them that no players should be excluded on the basis of their nationality.
The correspondence followed a leaked WhatsApp message, ironically from a talent scout brought in to increase the competition’s diversity, to a Pakistani agent initimating that there would be no Pakistani players selected by the Indian-owned entities.
No Pakistan players have featured in the Indian Premier League since the end of the 2008 season due to political tension between the two Asian neighbours, and the snub has extended to other parts of the world, with the SA20 – the franchises of which are now controlled entirely by IPL hierarchies – not featuring a single Pakistani.
Despite the Cricket Regulator having the power to investigate claims of discrimination within the English game, proving it has taken place within a selection phase which by its very nature is arbitrary, will be no easy task.
However, it will be a bad look if there is limited representation from the 63 Pakistan entrants when the auction list is formulated. That stage comes after next Thursday at 4pm: the deadline for the eight teams to nominate between 75-100 cricketers they would like to see included.
The Oval Invincibles have won the last three editions of the men’s Hundred
From that, the organising committee use those recurring to formulate a long list of between 150-250 individuals who will go under the hammer on March 11-12. Those without nominations are dispensed with.
Last year, even before the Indian money poured in, there was no Pakistani representation until Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim were drafted in by Northern Superchargers as replacements.
The Headingley-based franchise also had prolific leg-spinner Adil Rashid – one of multiple England players with Pakistani heritage – in their ranks in 2025.
Now under Indian ownership, and rebranded as Sunrisers Leeds, there has been no retention agreed between the Sunrisers and England’s most prolific Twenty20 bowler.
Rashid, 38, is likely to be one of the most sought after players in the auction, though, given his excellent career record.
One aspect that will affect Pakistan players being picked is the presence of a Test tour of West Indies in late summer, and players will require No Objection Certificates from the Pakistan Cricket Board for the involvement to be rubberstamped.
