PCB issues NOC to Haider Ali for BPL

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lifted its provisional suspension on batsman Haider Ali, clearing the way for his return to competitive cricket months after UK authorities dropped rape allegations against him.
The board said on Wednesday it had issued a “no-objection certificate” (NOC) for Haider to compete in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The NOC was granted alongside approvals for several other Pakistan players, including Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Khawaja Nafay and Ehsanaullah.
Haider, 24, last played competitive cricket before his arrest in Manchester earlier this year when a UK-born Pakistani woman accused him of rape while he was touring England with the Pakistan Shaheens. The PCB issued a provisional suspension at the time, saying he would be barred from cricket “pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.”
Manchester police dropped the charges on September 25, saying investigators had found insufficient evidence to proceed. Haider returned to Pakistan shortly afterward but had not been selected for any domestic or international fixtures while the PCB reviewed the case.
The PCB did not comment on Haider’s immediate selection prospects but said the NOC allows him to resume his professional commitments. Haider has played 35 T20 internationals and two ODIs for Pakistan since making his debut in 2020.
His reinstatement brings an end to a months-long period of uncertainty following a high-profile investigation that drew attention in both Pakistan and the UK.