Bureau Report
Karachi: Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Babar Azam is likely to fulfill his T20 Blast contract with Somerset after the end of Men in Green’s T20I series against England.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to give No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the 25-year-old. He would miss the first three or four matches due to his involvement with the national team but Somerset is hopeful to confirm that he will be available for the rest of the tournament.
On the other hand, his availability is dependent on whether he will be exempted from the National T20 Cup which is likely to be staged at the end of September.
Babar was due to spend five weeks with Somerset but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dates were altered of both the county and international season.
Surrey and Northants canceled contracts for Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf respectively, however, Hampshire have yet to confirm Shaheen Shah Afridi’s availability for the tournament.
It must be noted that Babar was the highest run-scorer in 2019 T20 Blast with 578 runs in 13 innings at an average of 52.54. His run tally included a century and four half-centuries.
