Pallekele, February 21 It would be "a shame" if Pakistani cricketers were excluded from The Hundred, England's limited-over captain Harry Brook said here on Saturday.
There have been reports that Indian-owned Hundred franchises – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave, and Sunrisers Leeds – may refrain from picking Pakistani players at the auction amid concerns over potential political backlash in India due to ongoing tensions between the two neighbours.
"Our main focus now is what's coming up in the T20 World Cup. It's not really any of our business, to be honest," Brook, who has been signed by Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds, said ahead of his team's Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka.
"But what I would say is that Pakistan has been a great cricket nation for many years. I think there are about 50, 60 players in the auction, and it would be a shame not to see some of them there."
As many as 67 male and female cricketers from Pakistan, including almost the entire men's T20 World Cup squad, have registered for The Hundred auction to be held in London.
Several Pakistani players, including Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf, have featured in The Hundred.
The IPL has not featured Pakistani players since the 26/11 terrorist attack in 2008.
No Pakistani cricketer has featured in the SA20 since its launch in 2023, with all six teams owned by franchise groups linked to the IPL.
Similarly, in the UAE's ILT20, franchises controlled by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not signed a single Pakistani player across four seasons.
"There are some amazing cricketers, and they bring some great crowds as well. So it would be a shame not to see some of the Pakistani players in there and make the tournament and competition even better," Brook added.
The upcoming season of The Hundred is scheduled from July 21 to August 16, while the player auctions are slated for Match 11 and 12.
