Brook: 'A shame' if Pakistan players overlooked for Hundred

Published on Saturday, 21 February 2026 at 7:34 pm

England white-ball captain Harry Brook has labelled it “a shame” if Pakistan cricketers are frozen out of this year’s men’s Hundred, after the BBC reported that the four Indian-owned franchises will not pursue them at March’s auction.

Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds—each with ties to IPL ownership groups—are set to bypass the 67 Pakistani entrants, a stance rooted in the long-standing political tensions that have kept Pakistan players out of the IPL since 2008.

Speaking ahead of England’s T20 World Cup Super 8s meeting with Sri Lanka, Brook, who will turn out for Sunrisers Leeds this summer, said: “Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years. I think there’s about 50 or 60 players in the auction and it would be a shame to not see some of them in there. There’s some amazing cricketers and they bring some great crowds as well. It would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make this tournament and competition even better.”

The BBC has seen an internal message indicating that only Welsh Fire, London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets—franchises without IPL affiliations—are likely to entertain bids for Pakistani talent. An ECB spokesperson countered: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan pressed the governing body to intervene, writing on social media: “The ECB need to act fast on this...they own the league and this should not be allowed to happen...the most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen.”

The auction list features high-profile Pakistan names including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf and Usman Tariq. The men’s event takes place on 12 March, a day after the women’s, for which four Pakistani players have also registered. To date, no Pakistan women’s player has appeared in the competition’s first five seasons.