England's limited-over captain Harry Brook has expressed his disappointment over reports suggesting Pakistani players might be excluded from The Hundred, stating that it would be "a shame" if they aren't allowed to participate.

There have been media reports that Indian-owned Hundred franchises -- Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds -- may withhold from picking Pakistan players at the auction amid unease over possible political backlash in India due to ongoing tensions between the two neighbours.

"Our main focus now is what's coming up in the T20 World Cup. It's not really any of our business, to be honest," Brook, who has been signed by Indian-owned Sunrisers Leeds, said ahead of his team's Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka.

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"But what I would say is Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years. I think there's about 50, 60 players in the auction, and it would be a shame to not see some of them in there."

As many as 67 male and female cricketer from Pakistan, including almost the entire men's T20 World Cup squad, have registered for The Hundred auction to be held in London.

Several Pakistan players, including Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf, have played in The Hundred.

The IPL has not featured Pakistani players since the 26/11 terrorist attack in 2008. No Pakistan cricketer has played in SA20 since its launch in 2023, with all six teams owned by franchise groups connected to the IPL.

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Similarly, in the UAE's ILT20, franchises owned by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not acquired a single Pakistan player across four seasons.

"There's some amazing cricketers and, yeah, and they bring some great crowds as well. So it would be a shame to not see some of the Pakistan players in there and make the tournament and competition even better," Brook added.

(With Agency Inputs)