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July 13 (IANS) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has refused to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to pacer Naseem Shah to play in the upcoming edition of The Hundred. Naseem was signed by Birmingham Phoenix for the tournament which is scheduled to start on July 23. In the opening clash of the tournament, Birmingham Phoenix will take on Oval Invincibles at Kennington Oval. As per the Geo News report, sources have confirmed that PCB has taken the decision to keep the pacer fit for the World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh and England in August and October respectively. His application has been dismissed to protect him from injuries, since he plays in all three formats of the cricket for the national side and he faced some fitness challenges last year, the report added. Pakistan head coach Jason Gillispie had earlier hinted that premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is likely to miss the home Test series against Bangladesh due to the birth of his first child. In the absence of Shaheen, Naseem's presence will be crucial for Pakistan to put up a strong bowling show in the series. Naseem made his international comeback months before the recently concluded T20 World Cup following a long hiatus due to a shoulder injury sustained during last year's Asia Cup match against India. He bagged five wickets in three games for Pakistan in their failed 2024 T20 World Cup campaign as the 2009 champions made the group-stage exit. He returned with figures of 3-21 against India including the wicket of star batter Virat Kohli. --IANS ab/
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