‘Essentially the most inclusive sport within the nation isn’t one that enables this to occur,’ says former England captain
Former captain Michael Vaughan urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday to “act quick” on stories that Pakistani gamers shall be missed by Indian-owned groups within the home Hundred competitors.
Longstanding political tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the border rivals solely enjoying one another in worldwide cricket occasions, though their current Colombo showdown on the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka solely went forward after Pakistan referred to as off a threatened boycott.
It has been claimed that politics has additionally led to an efficient ban on Pakistani gamers collaborating within the Indian Premier League (IPL), world cricket’s most profitable T20 franchise competitors.
And with a number of IPL homeowners now proudly owning groups in a number of completely different international locations, alternatives for Pakistani cricketers to take part in varied leagues are at risk of being lowered additional.
The BBC has now reported that the problem could possibly be an element throughout subsequent month’s participant public sale for English cricket’s Hundred, a 100 balls-per-side competitors that includes eight franchises moderately than the standard 18 first-class counties.
Gamers will go underneath the hammer in London on March 11-12, with the BBC reporting that the 4 Indian-affiliated Hundred groups — Manchester Tremendous Giants, MI London, Southern Courageous and Sunrisers Leeds will intentionally keep away from deciding on gamers from Pakistan.
Greater than 50 Pakistani cricketers have registered their availability, with 4 different groups concerned within the bidding.
The ECB has been unable to substantiate the BBC allegations, however Vaughan has referred to as for the governing physique to research the problem completely.
Vaughan, referencing the ECB’s said goal of cricket turning into essentially the most inclusive sport within the nation, posted on X: “The ECB have to act quick on this … they personal the league and this shouldn’t be allowed to occur … essentially the most inclusive sport within the nation isn’t one that enables this to occur.”
The ECB have to act quick on this .. they personal the league and this shouldn’t be allowed to occur .. essentially the most inclusive sport within the nation isn’t one that enables this to occur .. https://t.co/IYysTSIYHt
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 20, 2026
An ECB spokesman stated: “The Hundred welcomes males’s and girls’s gamers from everywhere in the world and we’d anticipate the eight groups to mirror that.
“Virtually 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred public sale, with illustration on the longlist of over 50 gamers respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”
Solely two Pakistan internationals — Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim — appeared in final 12 months’s Hundred, the ultimate version earlier than new traders grew to become concerned.
