England cricketers are seeking clarity from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the issuance of No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) after they were picked to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) during Monday's draft in Lahore. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Peshawar Zalmi), Sam Billings and Tom Curran (both Lahore Qalandars) were among those signed in the draft, while James Vince (Karachi Kings), Chris Jordan and David Willey (Multan Sultans) had already been retained. The PSL 2025 has been shifted to an April-May schedule, creating direct conflict with the start of England's domestic season for the first time.
The ECB's recent NOC policy, introduced at the end of November, has caused frustration among players. ECB chief executive Richard Gould said the policy was aimed at protecting English cricket.
Under the new policy, players will not receive NOCs for overseas competitions such as the PSL, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Major League Cricket (MLC) during the English summer, with the exception of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Players on white-ball county contracts can still receive NOCs for competitions that do not overlap with the T20 Blast or the Hundred.
Initially, the ECB wanted to prevent players with red ball contracts from skipping County Championship matches for overseas competitions. However, after pressure from players, agents and the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), the board has softened its stance. Players like Billings, Curran, Jordan and Willey are currently expected to secure NOCs for the PSL.
The ECB's NOC Consultation Group will assess the requests based on the criteria established in November. For the PSL, this includes players on white-ball contracts or those willing to renegotiate multi-format deals after the draft.
Kohler-Cadmore (Somerset) and Vince (Hampshire), both on all-format contracts, are assessing their options as fulfilling their PSL commitments would mean missing at least the first six County Championship matches of the season. The PSL runs from April 8 to May 19.
Meanwhile, six centrally contracted England players had registered for the draft but were marked “unavailable” after the ECB made it clear they would not grant NOCs. This group included Jonny Bairstow, who has not played for England since June, and Adil Rashid, a white-ball specialist.
“Following the announcement of the NOC policy and its proposed implementation, the PCA has worked with its members, the legal team and the ECB, jointly representing current players, to find solutions to restrictions. However, progress has been made in a number of implementation areas. Each NOC request is considered on a case-by-case basis and discussions remain ongoing,” a PCB spokesperson said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
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