Cricket SA not to allow players to take part in Pakistan Super League

In another major blow to the efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revive international cricket in the country, Cricket South Africa (CSA) have confirmed they will not be issuing No Objection Certificates (NOC) to contracted players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Earlier, Cricket Australia too refused to support contracted players participating in the League, reports Pak Passion. The participation of players from Australia and South Africa would have raised the profile of the PSL but the underlying security concerns felt by the boards have resulted in their decision to exclude their players from the auction due to be initiated on February 24. A CSA representative has cited in a statement that the security assessments did not provide the level of comfort required. He added that the CSA”s current agreement with SACA (cricketers association) is that they will not send players to the PSL based on the security reports. The statement of CSA follows a similar pattern to that received from CA. These decisions by the respective cricket boards may well have been influenced by the recent announcement by The Federation of International Cricketers” Associations, who advised it”s members to avoid participation in the tournament due to the “unmanageable” security risk. The decision by FICA came after they engaged independent security consultants to assess the situation in playing cricket in Pakistan, the report said. The official refusal of the two boards to allow participation of their contracted players will undoubtedly be a further blow to the PSL organisers and it remains to be seen which other countries will express similar opinions. (ANI)