If the ICC never signs off, England’s eight draftees will most likely stay home, because the ECB has tied its clearance to the sanction. Opening day, 27 December, is pencilled in for the UAE, yet the governing body has declined to comment, and just three franchises out of five have confirmed owners. The board appears ready to issue certificates, which shifts the pressure onto the ICC’s timetable. The coming weeks will decide whether these signings become appearances or awkward contract disputes for everyone involved.
Dubai hosted the draft on 3 November, where eight English cricketers found buyers, with Moeen Ali, Alex Hales and Joe Clarke the best-known names among them. Three others, Pope, Smeed and Willey, had removed their names earlier after criticism of the project.
None of the eight appears on England’s central contract list for 2026/27. Contracts matter here because they are the main tool a board has for restricting where its cricketers play. The squads below come from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, and no certificate has been published for any of them.
The competition has no ICC sanction at present, and the governing body would not comment. Its approval process is testing minimum standards, among them anti-corruption and anti-doping safeguards and due diligence on whoever owns each franchise.
Owners are confirmed for just three of the five teams, and no date for a decision has been reported. With the opening fixture set for 27 December, the distance between the draft and any approval is shrinking fast. A decision could also arrive late, and every day of delay raises the logistical pressure on franchises planning travel and squads.
In September, the board said it would handle this event like any other overseas franchise tournament, with certificates available once the ICC sanctioned it. Since the draft, reports suggest it intends to issue them to all eight despite its moral objections, but taking part still hinges on the ICC.
Players will be briefed before the event on what involvement entails. Rob Key, the managing director, says he would never play in it himself and has left the moral decision to individuals. In effect, the ECB has handed responsibility to the individual while keeping ICC sanction as its safety net.
An NOC lets a cricketer work abroad with his own board’s blessing. For this group the board holds no contractual lever, because not one of the eight is centrally contracted. Several reports add that a refusal might invite a legal fight, a worry that fits with the ECB’s plan to hand out certificates even though it dislikes the project.
Everything therefore rests on the ICC. Even then, an ECB certificate is not the only hurdle, since other boards keep their own veto, and Pakistan’s board is reportedly unwilling to release its cricketers.
The best case is a quick ICC decision before the 27 December start: the ECB’s condition is satisfied, certificates arrive, and the group flies out to the UAE once the briefing is finished. The worst case is silence until opening day. The ECB has linked its clearance to ICC approval, so the group would be without paperwork, free to stay home or defy that logic and go anyway, though a flat refusal from the board would sit awkwardly beside its reported fear of litigation.
Delay is a third route, and messy: a postponed event would leave contracts hanging for cricketers and franchises alike. Further withdrawals form a fourth, because Pope, Smeed and Willey have already walked away after the backlash and uncertainty over sanction offers others a reason to copy them. None of these is a reported outcome, and each turns on one question in the Afghanistan Premier League England players NOC story: when will the ICC act?
Should the ECB hold back certificates if the ICC delays its decision? Tell us in the comments.
Are English cricketers allowed to play in the Afghan tournament?
Yes, but only with an ECB certificate that depends on ICC sanction. The board intends to issue them, though the competition has not yet been sanctioned by the ICC.
What does a no-objection certificate mean in cricket?
It is the permission a cricketer needs from his own board to join an overseas league. Boards use the system to control which of their contracted or uncontracted cricketers take part in outside events.
Which English cricketers were picked in Dubai?
Eight were picked, led by Moeen Ali, Alex Hales and Joe Clarke. Mills, Stone, Moores and the two Woods, Luke and Chris, complete the group, while Pope, Smeed and Willey withdrew beforehand.
Does England play bilateral cricket against Afghanistan?
No bilateral series has been scheduled by the ECB since the Taliban regained power in 2021. The board cites how women and girls are treated, yet at ICC tournaments England does meet Afghanistan.
When does the Afghan tournament get under way?
Play begins on 27 December 2026 in the UAE. The draft was held in Dubai on 3 November, so the gap before the first match is under two months.
