Mohammad Amir has become the only Pakistani cricketer selected in the revived Afghanistan Premier League’s 2026 draft, but his move to Kandahar Warriors has opened a wider debate over Pakistan Cricket Board clearance rules and the league’s selection process. The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed Amir as a Platinum-category pick in Dubai on November 3, with the tournament scheduled to begin in the United Arab Emirates on December 27.
The ACB said five franchises selected 90 players from a pool of 462 across 18 rounds. Amir was chosen alongside high-profile overseas names including Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Johnson Charles and Wanindu Hasaranga. The official squad list places him alongside Afghan captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Joe Clarke, Kusal Perera and Tymal Mills at Kandahar Warriors.
The key distinction in Amir’s case is his registration status. Reporting before the draft said the former Pakistan fast bowler entered as a UK national, with Pakistan listed as his country of residence. That may explain why his participation is being treated differently from other Pakistani applicants, whose availability was reportedly conditional on receiving PCB no-objection certificates. A PCB spokesperson was quoted by Yahoo Sports as indicating that such approvals appeared unlikely, but the board had not issued a formal APL-specific statement in the material reviewed.
The draft has also produced criticism from within Afghanistan. TOLOnews reported that several current and former Afghan players, including Najibullah Zadran, Riaz Hassan and Wafiullah Tarakhil, questioned why established domestic cricketers were omitted. Their reactions raised concerns about transparency and whether performance alone determined selection. Those complaints are separate from Amir’s signing, but they give the tournament’s launch a second controversy beyond the Pakistan NOC dispute.
The APL now has its squads and a confirmed December 27 start date, yet Amir’s status remains the clearest test of how nationality, residency and board authority will be applied to overseas franchise cricket. The immediate unresolved issue is whether any other Pakistan-linked players can obtain clearance before the competition begins.
