Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has urged the England and Wales Cricket Board to make sure Pakistani players are not left out of The Hundred. He fears they could be quietly ignored, based on his own experience in franchise cricket.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Mahmood shared how he once lost a coaching chance in the Caribbean Premier League. “It happened four years ago straight away after Covid when the CPL was happening,” he said. A team first approached him for a coaching role. Later, he learned the deal fell through because of his nationality. “I found out because my background as a Pakistani they said we can’t have any Pakistani coach or player in our side.”
Mahmood played 164 matches for Pakistan between 1996 and 2007, including 21 Tests. He also had a long county career in England. He represented Surrey in two spells and played for Kent as well. After becoming a British citizen in 2011, he qualified as a local player in county cricket.
He later moved into coaching. Mahmood became Pakistan’s bowling coach in 2016 and stayed for three years. His contract ended in 2019. In 2024, he served as Pakistan’s head coach for their T20I tour of New Zealand. He also stepped in as acting head coach in 2025 after Jason Gillespie left the role. Alongside this, he has worked as a bowling coach in the Pakistan Super League.
Mahmood said his recent link with Pakistan has made it harder to get roles in leagues tied to IPL owners. “It’s not the ideal situation for me,” he said. “I’m an English qualified coach… now because I was part of the Pakistan set-up for the last two years, finding roles now is quite difficult.” He added that many leagues are part of the same system. “Everything is connected to the ecosystem of the IPL… as a coach I find it tough to get into those teams which are owned by IPL and Indian owners.” He believes the same issue may affect players too.
Reports last week suggested that Hundred teams with IPL links might not consider Pakistani players in the coming auction. MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave all have ownership ties with IPL franchises.
Mahmood pointed out that England has a large Pakistani community and strong cricket links with Pakistan. “There are a lot of Pakistani communities in England,” he said. He hopes the ECB will step in to deal with the concern.
