Former Pakistan cricketer Azhar Mahmood has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to ensure Pakistani players are not deliberately overlooked in The Hundred, where more than 60 players from the country have registered for next month’s inaugural auction. Mahmood cited his own experience of losing a coaching role due to his Pakistani heritage and alleged wider discrimination amid the global expansion of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
A BBC report earlier this month highlighted concerns about a potential unofficial exclusion of Pakistani players, as four Hundred franchises now have Indian investors. Since 2009, Pakistani players have not featured in the IPL, and only a handful have represented IPL-owned teams in overseas leagues.
Mahmood, who played 164 international matches for Pakistan between 1996 and 2007, revealed on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast that he once lost a coaching contract with a Caribbean Premier League franchise because of his background.
“It happened four years ago, straight after Covid, when the CPL was taking place,” Mahmood said. “I was approached to coach one of the franchises, and later I found out that because of my background as a Pakistani, they said they couldn’t have any Pakistani coach or player in the side.”
Mahmood, who represented Surrey and Kent during a long county career and became a British citizen in 2011, later served as Pakistan’s bowling coach from 2016 to 2019. He returned as acting head coach in 2025 following the departure of Jason Gillespie and has also had coaching stints in the Pakistan Super League.
He claimed the issue extends beyond a single league, making it increasingly difficult for Pakistan-origin cricketers to secure roles in franchise tournaments worldwide.
“It’s not an ideal situation for me,” Mahmood said. “I’m an English-qualified coach. I was coaching Surrey and then worked with Pakistan for the last two years. Now, because I’ve been part of the Pakistan set-up, finding roles is quite difficult.
“Everything is connected to the IPL ecosystem. They have four or five franchise leagues — SA20, MLC. As a coach, I find it tough to get into teams owned by IPL franchises and Indian investors. It’s difficult. The same applies to players.”
Mahmood has now called on the ECB to address the issue, particularly regarding MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave, all under partial IPL-linked ownership.
“There is a large Pakistani community in England,” he said. “There is a strong relationship between the ECB and the Pakistan Cricket Board. Cricket fans in England, especially from the Pakistani community, are passionate about the game. Hopefully, the ECB will act on this.”
