KARACHI: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has formally written to all eight owners of The Hundred, reminding them of their responsibilities amid claims of Pakistani players being overlooked by Indian teams in the auction, English media reported on Sunday.
The BBC reported earlier this week that Manchester Supergiants, MI London, Southern Braves and Sunrisers Leeds will not be considering Pakistani cricketers for The Hundred auctions to be held on March 11-12.
But the ECB sent an email to all eight sides on Sunday warning that action would be taken if there was any evidence of discrimination, including the exclusion of players on national grounds.
If any evidence is found, the matter will be referred to the Independent Controlling Authority of Cricket, although the ECB, which oversees the 100-ball tournament, may take action separately.
Long-standing geopolitical tensions between the two Asian nations have cast a shadow over cricket for years, with Pakistani players banned from the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009.
Opportunities for Pakistani players have been further squeezed by several IPL franchises taking over domestic franchises overseas, such as the SA20 in South Africa and the ILT20 in the UAE.
A total of 67 Pakistani players – 63 men and four women – including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Raoob and Naseem Shah, have submitted themselves for The Hundred auction to be held next month.
There are 964 players in the auction, from which owners have to submit a list of 75-100 players they want, while the ECB on Thursday presented a list of around 200 players.
No Pakistani players were picked in last year’s auction – before the new investors took control – with left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim as replacements.
This was largely due to Pakistan’s busy summer schedule, which made some of their top players unavailable for some matches, and the same is true this year.
Pakistan have two Tests in the West Indies during the tournament from July 21 to August 16, and then play the first of three Tests against England three days after The Hundred final.