The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has formally written to all eight franchises of The Hundred, reminding them of their responsibilities amid claims of Pakistan players likely to be overlooked by the Indian-owned teams at the auction.
It was reported by the BBC earlier this week that Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds would not consider any Pakistan cricketers at The Hundred auction from March 11-12.
But it is understood that the ECB sent an email to the eight sides on Sunday, warning them that action would be taken if there was any evidence of discrimination, including ignoring players based on nationality.
If any proof is forthcoming, then the matter will likely be referred to the independent Cricket Regulator, although the ECB, which oversees the 100-ball competition, may take separate action, too.
Longstanding geopolitical tensions between the two Asian nations have cast a shadow over cricket for many years, with an effective blanket ban on Pakistan players at the Indian Premier League (IPL) being in place since 2009.
Opportunities for Pakistan players have been squeezed further by several IPL owners taking charge of domestic franchises abroad – such as South Africa’s SA20 and the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates.
A total of 67 Pakistan players – 63 men and four women – have submitted themselves for next month's auction in The Hundred, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
There are 964 players in the auction, from which the franchises must submit a list of 75-100 they are keen on, with the ECB on Thursday putting forward a shortlist of around 200 to go under the hammer.
There were no Pakistan players selected at last year’s auction – before the new investors assumed control – although left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim featured as replacements.
That was largely down to Pakistan’s busy summer schedule, rendering their high-profile players unavailable for some of the tournament, and it is a similar situation this year.
Pakistan have two Tests in the West Indies during the tournament, which is set to run from July 21 to August 16, and then play the first of three Tests against England three days after The Hundred final.
