Ollie Pope has withdrawn from the draft for the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League T20, joining England-based players Will Smeed and David Willey in pulling out. The draft is scheduled for October 24, with the tournament due to begin in the United Arab Emirates on December 27.

Pope had been the only centrally contracted England player entered for the draft. His withdrawal was reported on October 12 and was understood to be his own decision, taken before England director of cricket Rob Key publicly said he would not play in the league.

The backlash centred on the potential involvement of English players in an Afghanistan-based competition while the England and Wales Cricket Board has declined to play bilateral cricket against Afghanistan because of the Taliban government’s treatment of women and girls. Cricinfo reported that the ECB had planned to issue No Objection Certificates for the APL despite that position.

Key said participation was ultimately a personal decision. “Personally, and it is easy for me to say, I would not go and play,” he said. “But it is down to the player to make that decision.” He also noted that it was legally difficult to prevent players from taking part, even though an ECB NOC is required.

The original account’s claim that Pope cited “personal and professional concerns” is not supported by the available reporting. The verified explanation is that he withdrew amid criticism over English players’ potential participation; no direct quotation from Pope explaining his reasons has been published.

The claim that the ACB failed to secure NOCs for players in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year is also unsupported in the available reporting. The NOC issue in this story concerns the ECB’s role in approving participation in the APL, not a separate PSL dispute.

The tournament’s origin and dates also need correction. The APL was announced in early 2025, not 2024, and it is a revived competition rather than an entirely new alternative to the Shpageeza Cricket League. It is scheduled to begin on December 27 in the UAE.

Pope’s withdrawal, alongside those of Smeed and Willey, is a significant blow to the league’s efforts to attract high-profile overseas players. But it should not be presented as confirmation that the tournament’s future is in doubt: the ACB had not commented publicly on the impact of the withdrawals in the available reporting, and other English players, including Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, James Vince and James Rew, remained in the draft.