No Pakistani Player Picked in The Hundred Despite 45 Names Registered – Is Indian Franchise Ownership the Reason?
It was somewhat expected that many Pakistani players wouldn’t find teams in The Hundred draft. However, the fact that not a single one of the 45 registered Pakistani players was picked is quite shocking. The list included notable cricketers such as pacer Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, spinner Usama Mir, and all-rounders Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.
Each of these players has previously played in this 100-ball tournament. Moreover, The Hundred does not attract top-tier franchise cricketers in large numbers. So why did Pakistani players remain unsold?
The tournament is set to take place in August this year, coinciding with Pakistan’s series against West Indies and Afghanistan. This scheduling conflict could be one reason. However, Pakistani fans see another possible explanation.
Shadab Khan also went unsold.
Recently, several IPL franchises, including Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, have acquired stakes in The Hundred teams. Given this Indian investment, there were already doubts about whether Pakistani players would get opportunities in the tournament. At that time, ECB’s Chief Executive Richard Gould had assured Pakistani cricketers. However, in the end, not a single Pakistani player was selected in the draft.
A similar situation occurred in South Africa’s SA20 tournament, where no Pakistani cricketers were picked due to Indian franchise ownership. And, of course, Pakistani players have been absent from the IPL since 2009.
In the draft held yesterday, Afghanistan’s spinner Noor Ahmad and New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell fetched the highest prices, each sold for £200,000. In comparison, Pakistani players had relatively low base prices. Naseem Shah had the highest base price among them at £120,000, while Imad Wasim and Saim Ayub were listed at £78,500 each.
