English cricketers Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have shared blunt views on why Pakistan cricket continues to struggle, pointing to strict No Objection Certificate (NOC) policies and an unhealthy attitude towards players.

 

Speaking on a recent podcast, Moeen Ali criticised how Pakistani players are denied NOCs even when they are not part of the national team. He questioned the logic behind stopping players from gaining experience in overseas leagues and county cricket.

 

“They have issues getting NOC’s. They’re only allowed two NOC’s or whatever. Even when guys are not playing for Pakistan, they don’t get NOC’s,” Moeen said. “I’m like, why would you not? So, Samir, I think it was, he wasn’t playing for Pakistan. They had no duty but not allowed NOC to go and play county cricket, 100 whatever it was.”

 

Instagram Post

 

 

Moeen said allowing players to compete abroad would only benefit Pakistan cricket. He stressed that fast bowlers need managed workloads, but when there are no international matches, players should be encouraged to play elsewhere.

 

“When there’s no Pakistan games on, you should go and allow these guys to go and play and experience, play with other people and learn from other guys more,” he added.

 

During the discussion, Moeen also said that comparisons being drawn by former players reflected a deeper issue in Pakistan's cricket culture. While it wasn't directly mentioned, graphics on the screen, at the same time, showed an Instagram story shared by Umar Akmal wherein he compared himself to Babar Azam. 

 

“And that’s why I say I feel sorry for them to a certain extent because in Pakistan there’s still people who are like, we did this and we did that. Your time is done,” Moeen said.

 

Umar Akmal has remained active on social media in recent months, regularly posting videos of himself practising in the nets. However, he has not featured in domestic cricket, which has led to criticism from fans and former players. 

 

Many have pointed out that strong performances in domestic competitions are the only pathway back into national selection, and net practice alone holds no value without match results.