Azhar Mahmood Alleges Discrimination, Says Pakistani Heritage Cost Him Coaching Role

Azhar Mahmood revealed he lost a CPL coaching role because of his Pakistani heritage and claimed links to the IPL franchise network make it harder to find roles.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has asked the England and Wales Cricket Board to ensure Pakistani players receive fair opportunities in The Hundred. More than 60 players from Pakistan have registered for next month’s inaugural auction.

Concerns about an unofficial exclusion surfaced after a BBC report noted that four ‘The Hundred’ franchises now include Indian investors. Pakistan players have not appeared in the IPL since 2009, and only a small number have featured for IPL-linked sides in other leagues.

Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Azhar Mahmood said a Caribbean Premier League(CPL) team withdrew a coaching role offer four years ago after learning his Pakistani Heritage. He added that links within the IPL ecosystem, including SA20 and MLC, make opportunities harder for Pakistan-origin coaches and players.

“It happened four years ago, straight after Covid, when the CPL was taking place. 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 said.

“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,” he added.

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Azhar Mahmood also urged the ECB to review selection fairness in The Hundred, focusing on MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave, which have IPL-linked investors.

“There is a large Pakistani community in England. 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,” he concluded.

Moeen Ali Urges ECB to Ensure Fair Access

Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali had also urged the ECB to monitor player recruitment for The Hundred and ensure Pakistan cricketers receive fair access. Moeen warned the absence of Pakistan players would harm the tournament’s credibility. He stressed there is no place for discrimination in sport.

“In the UK, I’m not sure that can happen – and I hope it doesn’t happen. It just shouldn’t happen, hopefully it won’t happen. We just have to wait and see if it does, but I think it’d be a massive shame, and I’m sure the ECB will definitely keep an eye out,” Moeen told Telegraph Sport.

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“There’ll be a group of players that will speak up. There’ll be things done about it. I think players should speak up. Anyone that has any sort of concern for these kind of things – it doesn’t matter if they have Pakistani heritage – should speak up. Obviously, the news is very new. So I’ve not really had a chance to speak to anyone, but most of the players would be on the same page. It’d be really interesting to see what happens, because I genuinely think other countries can do what they want, obviously, we’re not in control of those things, but in the UK, we have a bit more say about these things,” he added.

Pakistan players have not featured in the IPL since its first season. Teams linked to Indian ownership in SA20 and ILT20 have also largely avoided recruiting Pakistan players.