Hundred coaches not told to avoid Pakistan players

Coaches of Hundred teams with investment from the Indian Premier League say they have not been directed away from signing Pakistan players.

BBC Sport reported in February that the four Hundred franchises linked to the IPL would not sign Pakistan players, mirroring a ban in place in India.

All eight Hundred franchises and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently released a joint statement saying “players must not be excluded on the grounds of nationality”.

As expected, the two Pakistan players involved in Wednesday’s auction for the women’s Hundred were not bought by any of the eight teams.

On Thursday, 17 Pakistani men are involved in the men’s auction, including fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, and spinner Usman Tariq.

Hundred side Sunrisers Leeds are part of the Sunrisers’ global network, with teams in India and South Africa.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape are one of six teams in the SA20 – all have links to IPL ownership and none have ever fielded a Pakistan player.

Adi Birrell, head coach of Sunrisers Leeds women and Sunrisers Eastern Cape men, said he had never been told not to sign a Pakistan player.

“No, I haven’t,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m sure there will be some interest in some players tomorrow.”

Asked if he believed there will be interest in Pakistan players from teams with IPL links, he said: “I think so, but I don’t know. I presume so. I haven’t heard that they won’t bid for them.”

Sunrisers Leeds are one of two Hundred teams owned outright by an IPL franchise, along with Southern Brave, who were bought by the part-owners of Delhi Capitals.

Brave women’s head coach Jonathan Batty said: “The only thing I’ve been told is ‘sign the best players to make this the best squad you possibly can’.

Any decision by a team to refrain from signing players from Pakistan could also have a sporting explanation.

Pakistan have a Test series against West Indies at the same time as this year’s Hundred, potentially affecting player availability.

Recently, there has been a history of some Pakistan players being pulled from franchise commitments at short notice, while the unpredictability of an auction can also affect the way teams bid for players.

Mo Bobat, director of cricket for London Spirit, said: “There are hundreds of overseas players that have registered for the auction and there are only 16 overseas slots, so there are going to be a lot of disappointed overseas players.”

Spirit are not owned by an IPL franchise, but do have soft links with Bobat’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“It’s difficult to predict what will happen,” Bobat added. “The nature of an auction is there’s loads of uncertainty, there’s loads of jeopardy – there are no guarantees. We’re considering all players from everywhere because we want to be as strong as possible”.

The auctions, a first for both The Hundred and major British sport, are a result of the sales of stakes in the eight teams, which raised about £500m for cricket in England and Wales.