Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan receive BBL NOCs from PCB.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has granted the bowlers Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to participate in the Big Bash League (BBL), which will start on Thursday, December 7.

The board stated that this schedule was decided upon taking into account “the workload of players and the future tours programme of the national men’s team.” Based on the NOCs that were given, the three players will be permitted to play in the BBL until December 28.

In Australia at the moment, the Pakistani team is playing a three-match Test series. At first, Rauf—who has usually been regarded as a white-ball specialist—was a candidate to be selected for the Test team for the Australian series. He did, however, choose to decline selection, which prompted public criticism of his actions from PCB officials.

Wahab Riaz, the new chief selector for Pakistan, also chastised Rauf for his choice, claiming that the right-arm bowler had changed his mind after first agreeing to play in the eagerly awaited series.

“The PCB understands that this decision is in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved while balancing the importance of game time with workload management,” the board stated.

Melbourne Stars players Rauf and leg-spinner Mir are slated to play. They can participate in as many as five games for the squad. Conversely, Pacer Zaman would be able to play for the Sydney Thunder in four games.

Olly Stone is expected to succeed Haris Rauf.

Olly Stone, an England pacer, is presently training with the Stars and may be called up to the team following Haris Rauf exit. It is important to note that Peter Moores, the new head coach of Melbourne, coaches Stone’s English County team, Nottinghamshire.

The Stars will play Brisbane Heat in the opening game of the BBL 2023–2024 on Thursday, December 7, at The Gabba. Sydney Thunder will take on the Heat in Canberra on Tuesday, December 12, to kick off their eight-team league campaign.