Why did James Vince quit first-class cricket?

Vince had been the leading run-scorer for Hampshire for each of the last four seasons, and had led the club to top-three finishes in the last three seasons. Yet, last week, he chose to quit first-class cricket.

This was largely because of the the NOC policy the ECB had issued in November 2024. According to the policy, England cricketers with white-ball contracts with counties would not get NOCs for leagues – barring the IPL – that clashed with the T20 Blast or The Hundred, while the red-ball contracted players would face the same for leagues that coincided with the County Championship.

After getting a “six-figure contract” with the Karachi Kings for the 2025 PSL, thus, Vince was left with little choice but to draw curtains on his first-class career. It is worth a mention that his house in England had been attacked twice in quick succession in 2024, and he has since relocated to Dubai.

Vince: PSL is a shorter competition than the IPL

Vince opened up about his decision in an interview with ESPNcricinfo: “When they first mentioned it, a WhatsApp group of players was created and there was a lot of discussion. The initial feeling was that it was going to drive people away from red-ball cricket. It felt like it was going to limit opportunities. Players were frustrated by it … There were a few things in there that [we] didn't really understand.

He also expressed his surprise at the choice of the PSL over the IPL on the list of ECB-mentioned leagues: “It’s got to be something to do with relationships between the ECB, PCB and BCCI as to why they’ve come up with that rule. The PSL’s a shorter competition, so if you’re going to play in that, you’re probably missing less domestic cricket than if you’re going to the IPL ... It just didn't seem right.

“There’s more and more opportunities for guys to play white-ball cricket and earn decent money during our domestic season,” added Vince. “You’re talking quite large sums of money in terms of what they forego by playing red-ball cricket. Particularly further down their careers, when there’s a big difference in those numbers, I’m sure more and more people will go down that route.”

Has Vince officially retired from first-class cricket?

While he has not retired from first-class cricket, at 34, his days in the format might be over. “I’d say it’s probably pretty much done. There’s no point announcing your retirement when you’re not playing for England, but in my head I’ve kind of moved on from the possibility.

“It’s certainly not something where, when squads get announced, I’m looking at my phone expecting someone to call me. I had a taste of it, which was good. I obviously would have liked to have done better and played more for England. But as that hasn’t worked out, I’m trying to make the most of my career.”

However, he will be following Hampshire in the County Championship: “When I’m there in Pakistan, no doubt I’ll flick the live stream on and be looking at the scorecards. That’s when it’ll really hit home that something I’ve been involved in for the last 15 years, all of a sudden I’m not ... It’ll be a strange feeling.”

Will he return to England? “My wife and the kids are quite excited about the prospect of living over here [in Dubai]. We don’t really have a timeframe on how long that’ll be. If we like it, it could be indefinitely; if, after a couple of years, we feel it’s not for us, then I guess we’ve got the option to move back to the UK. It’s a case of taking it step by step and seeing where it leads us.”