Mohammad Amir enters Afghanistan Premier League draft as British citizen

DUBAI: Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has registered for the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) player draft as a British citizen. The draft will be held in Dubai on Tuesday, 3 November.

Amir is 34 years old and lives in England. He is listed in the draft as a British citizen, while his country of residence is given as Pakistan. He has been placed in the Platinum category.

As a British citizen, he will not need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Meanwhile, reports say the PCB has decided not to issue NOCs to Pakistani players for the APL. Asked whether NOCs would be issued, a board spokesman said it did not look like it.

More than 30 Pakistani players are on the draft list, including Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hasan Ali, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim. According to the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s list, the participation of Pakistani players depends on a PCB NOC.

Amir has played 36 Tests, 61 one-day internationals and 62 T20 internationals for Pakistan. He last represented Pakistan against Ireland in Lauderhill, Florida, during the T20 World Cup in June 2024.

The APL will have five teams. Each team will have a maximum of 18 players, including 11 to 12 Afghan and six to seven overseas players. The fee for the Platinum category is set at $100,000. A total of 462 players have been shortlisted for the draft.