According to a report in the Telegraph, the ECB has decided to ban players from featuring in the Pakistan Super League, as well as other T20 leagues that clash with their domestic season.
The ECB will make an exception for the Indian Premier League, which enjoys a two-and-a-half month window in the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP).
Barring the IPL, no-objection certificates (NOCs) won't be handed to T20 leagues that run alongside the English domestic season. Consequently, the PSL, which is scheduled to be played in April-May, is part of the list that would bear the brunt.
There's been no official announcement from the ECB yet. According to the Telegraph, the move is to be ratified by the board next week.
The policy, according to the report, is to "safeguard the quality of the domestic game", even if the immediate concern could be losing homegrown players to lucrative leagues abroad.
In 2023, as many as 16 England players signed up to play the PSL, including both capped and uncapped players. According to the report, the overall number for all England T20 franchise participants in 2023 stood at 74.
The move isn't restricted to Englands all-format regulars – even those not part of the first-class circuit anymore would not be exempted from domestic first-class games. Those with a white-ball only contract could still be able to play T20 league outside of the domestic white-ball window, enabling the likes of Saqib Mahmood to feature in the PSL.
The move will ensure that players will be available for selection for the T20 Blast as well as the Hundred, while also clamping down on participation in leagues one after another, as soon as their team is eliminated. There's also rising concern over corruption in certain overseas leagues: for instance, last year, the ICC charged eight people for corrupt activities in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. According to the report, players could be barred in leagues suspected of corruption.
Also read: Massive no ball in Abu Dhabi T10 raises eyebrows
England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler is currently participating in the 2024 edition, with 20 other England players divided across the ten teams. Buttler is one among seven players with a two-year central contract with the ECB.
“We need to protect the integrity of our sport and the strength of our competitions in England and Wales as well,” Richard Gould, ECB chief executive, was quoted as saying.
“This policy gives clarity to players and professional counties around our approach to issuing No Objection Certificates. It will enable us to strike the right balance between supporting players who want to take up opportunities to earn and gain experience, while also protecting the integrity of cricket globally, ensuring we don’t undermine our own ECB competitions, and managing the welfare of centrally contracted England players.”
The rising volume of global T20 leagues threatens to eat into domestic seasons of international boards: at least four major leagues are set to clash with the schedules of the Hundred and the T20 Cup next. The PSL's schedule shift from its usual window of February-March to April-May further runs the risk of leaving the ECB without its top players in the County Championship.
At the same time, the exemption handed to the IPL could affect the quality of other leagues vying to compete in the market.
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