According to reports by International Business Times, 12 nationals from 12 countries including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen have been banned from entering the U.S. According to the president, this ban is to secure the country and it will be imposed next week.
It is believed that this situation might affect Major League Cricket (MLC) as a few Afghan players are signed with respective teams. According to ESPN Cricinfo, MLC management hopeful that their Afghan players such as Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad will be able to play for the 2025 season notwithstanding the travel restrictions, with seven Afghan players actually having contracts for MLC 2025: Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq (MI New York), Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Waqar Salamkheil (Seattle Orcas), and Noor Ahmad (Texas Super Kings).
The ban will be effective from Monday, June 9, 12:01 AM Eastern Time, or 9:30 PM IST. There are a few exceptions allowing entry to the affected nationals. Athletes crossing for events along such lines as World Cup or Olympics will for one not be affected, the moment the Secretary of State permits it.
The franchise officials are looking at various ways of getting their players into the U.S. before the ban takes effect and are hopeful that the Secretary of State will deem MLC a major sporting event and give some exemptions for the players.
MLC Season 3 will be launched on June 12, kicking off with a match between the champions, Washington Freedom, and last season’s runners-up, San Francisco Unicorns, at the Oakland Coliseum.
