James Vince, No Objection Certificates and the PSL: Why are the ECB and county cricketers clashing over T20 leagues? | Cricket news
Hampshire’s James Vince has left red-ball cricket for 2025 to accept a lucrative Pakistan Super League contract, with the ECB making it clear it will cut back on players seeking franchise T20 contracts while on red-ball contracts with their countries.
Vince’s move comes as the ECB and county players are embroiled in a dispute over the governing body’s new no-objection certificate (NOC) policy.
So what are NOCs? Why the ECB policy change? And who are most affected by the move?
What separates the ECB and the players?
Vince, along with a number of other England players, has sought clarity from the ECB on whether he will receive NOCs to play in the Pakistan Super League and other T20 tournaments that are set to clash with the domestic summer.
Players were reported to have reacted furiously in late November when the ECB announced a new policy on NOCs, which chief executive Richard Gould said was designed to “defend our game”.
Under the new policy, players will be denied NOCs for all overseas leagues played during the English summer, including the PSL, the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket in the US – with the notable exception of the Indian Premier League.
“We have to protect our summer,” Gould said. “When we have players under contract, we want to encourage them to stay and play in our competitions.”
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) said at the time that they were blindsided by the policy and that their sense of “genuine cooperation” with the ECB had disappeared.
There is even the threat of a legal challenge, citing trade restrictions. “PCA’s legal team is currently completing a thorough review of the implementation of the policy,” it said in November.
Why is ECB not allowing players to play in PSL?
While the PSL was once a popular off-season competition for English players, its move to a new spot on the calendar – from April 8 to May 19 – means it now clashes with the four-day County Championship competition.
Players who have white-ball contracts with their counties will receive NOCs for competitions that do not conflict with the Vitality Blast or Hundred, but any with contracts for all formats will not.
Gould explained that the ECB’s tougher stance on NOCs was introduced to prevent overseas leagues from “undermining” domestic competitions, as fears grow of a diluted domestic product if the best players work elsewhere.
Vince had contracts in all formats – captaining the club in four-day and T20 cricket – until, after being retained by the Karachi Kings in Monday’s PSL draft, he changed his contract with the club to white-ball only, with the announcement following on Wednesday .
The 33-year-old, who was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning squad, has endured a challenging 2024 on a personal level, following several attacks on his family home. Because of this, his family made the decision to move to Dubai.
Giles White, director of cricket at Hampshire, said: “We realize this announcement will be tinged with disappointment for many fans, but we hope everyone will join us in celebrating what [Vince] given to our club over many years and supporting him as he fulfills his commitment to continue to lead the Hawks into Vitality Blast 2025.”
Which players are affected?
Somerset dough Tom Kohler-Cadmore is someone who will be affected by the ECB’s new policy on NOCs.
With still no changes to his contract across all formats, the 30-year-old is currently set to miss at least the first six league games of the season if he is to fulfill his PSL contract with Peshawar Zalmi.
Four more English players – Tom Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Sam Billings (Kent) and David Willey (Northamptonshire) – will participate in the PSL, but without any problems because the white ball only deals with its own counties.
Several recent England internationals including Saqib Mahmood, Luke Wood and George Gartonthey are currently under county contracts which primarily cover white ball cricket but also include “pay as you play” options for the Championship.
If they were to be selected in the T20 league which conflicts with the domestic summer, they would not get a NOC unless they retire from red cricket.
Six England centrally-contracted players reportedly applied for the PSL draft but were marked as “unavailable” on a long list sent to franchises after the ECB clarified that they would not be granted NOCs.
This includes Jonny Bairstow – who has not played for England since June – and Adil Rashid.
Hussain: The critical point in the balance between the red ball and the white ball
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain: “I was in Essex a few days ago and they were talking about the situation with Vince and the fallout.
“He’s not just a white-ball specialist – he’s a very, very good red-ball player, who has runs for them for a very long time – and he’s club captain.
“I suppose he’s nearing the end of his professional career, so if there’s a £100,000 offer on the table from the PSL, he could just go freelance and do what he can.
“Don’t you think the West Indies, South Africa, and even New Zealand, will be ‘welcome to our world?’
“Now we are just catching up with the fact that they are coming to our summer. We will have a franchise for America [MLC] and in summer.
“It’s just that battle between white ball and red ball franchise cricket. The red ball costs a lot even at the county level.
“It’s a really critical point where the balance is between red-ball cricket and white-ball cricket at the moment.”
