PCB issues NOCs for players to join vitality blast and county cricket

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued no-objection certificates to four national cricketers for participation in England’s T20 Blast.

Pakistan has given clear permission to several of its key players to take part in the 2026 Vitality T20 Blast in England, with spinners Sufiyan Muqeem, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usama Mir cleared for the tournament. There have also been successful applications by fast bowler Mohammad Abbas to have several short term stints with Derbyshire in various sections of the season.

The Blast will be available to Sufiyan Muqueem between May 22 and June 7 thus providing him with a small but a useful period of the competition. Nawaz and Usama Mir, however, will be allowed longer windows and therefore will be able to participate in more of the tournament assuming that they are included in their teams.

Abbas will be taken to England in blocky groups in April, May, June, and also in August to end of September, so that Derbyshire can have his work and at the same time employ him in the county red-ball cricket. Among these players, Usama Mir already has Blast experience after playing for Worcestershire in 2023, where he took 19 wickets in 11 matches at a tight economy rate of 7.29.

Nawaz and Muqeem will be making their debuts in the competition. All three spinners are currently busy in the 2026 Pakistan Super League, with Sufiyan turning out for Peshawar Zalmi, Nawaz playing for Multan Sultans, and Usama Mir representing Lahore Qalandars.

The 2026 Vitality T20 Blast is set to begin on May 22 and run until July 18, giving fans a chance to see Pakistan’s emerging and established T20 talents in English county conditions.