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England ban players from appearing in Pakistan Super League

Sam Billings in action during the Carribean Premier League
England’s Sam Billings keeps wicket for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the Caribbean Premier League last month - Getty Images/Randy Brooks

England have banned players from appearing in the Pakistan Super League and other franchise leagues that clash with the domestic summer, even while an exception continues to be made for the Indian Premier League.

The change could severely damage the earning potential of English players during the home season, and creates a risk that some will turn their back on the red-ball game to play abroad. But the England and Wales Cricket Board believes the new approach will safeguard the quality of the domestic game.

In October, Telegraph Sport revealed that the CB was planning to stop granting No Objection Certificates for competitions which overlap with the English summer, unless the player has a white-ball-only contract.

The ECB will also stop allowing players to appear in any competitions that overlap with the Vitality Blast and the Hundred. The board confirmed that players will be barred from leagues suspected of corruption, and prevented from “double-dipping” – switching to a new tournament once eliminated from another competition taking place at the same time.

Policy will leave players in difficult position

The new policies were ratified by the ECB board at a meeting on Wednesday. It comes at a tumultuous time for the sport, with the schedule becoming ever more relentless. More than 20 major short-format franchise competitions will take place in 2024, and the number is likely to grow in years to come.

The new policy could leave some players in an awkward position between maximising earnings and being available for all formats. Saqib Mahmood, who starred in England’s recent limited-overs tour of the Caribbean, has signed a white-ball only contract with Lancashire for next season – which could allow him to play in the PSL.

Historically, little major domestic cricket clashed with the heart of the English summer. But next year the T20 Blast and Hundred will be played alongside Major League Cricket, Canada’s Global T20 league and Sri Lanka’s Premier League, while the Caribbean Premier League begins in late August. As has been the case since 2008, the IPL will clash with the start of the English summer, with England long accepting that players will skip domestic games to appear in the world’s most lucrative league.

Next year the PSL takes place in April, further intensifying the competition for talent. Without any action from the ECB, it was feared that a dozen or more English players could play in Pakistan, hollowing out the quality of the County Championship.

This year, Jason Roy missed T20 Blast fixtures for Surrey to appear in Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League. Alex Hales missed Blast matches for Nottinghamshire to appear in the Lanka Premier League. Under the new policy, even those who no longer play first-class cricket would not be permitted to miss English domestic white-ball games.

“We need to protect the integrity of our sport and the strength of our competitions in England and Wales as well,” said Richard Gould, ECB chief executive.

“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.”

In 2023, 74 England-qualified men appeared in franchise tournaments around the world – comfortably a record for any country.