English players waiting for clearance from ECB for PSL participation

The PSL participation of England cricketers are yet to be cleared by the ECB. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s new NOC policy frustrated the players, and they are still waiting for the final decision to take part in the Pakistan Super League.

ECB’s NOC policy frustrates PSL

As per the recent NOC policy by the ECB introduced in late November, players will not get NOCs for overseas leagues during the English summer. This means the participation in the PSL, Caribbean Premier League, and Major League Cricket remains uncertain. The upcoming season of PSL has shifted to an April-May schedule. Therefore, there is a direct clash with the English domestic season for the first time.

Meanwhile, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Peshawar Zalmi), Sam Billings, and Tom Curran (both Lahore Qalandars) were picked in the draft. On the other hand, the retained English players are James Vince (Karachi Kings), Chris Jordan, and David Willey (Multan Sultans). Now English players are seeking clarity and waiting for clearance from board during Monday’s PSL draft in Lahore.

“Following the announcement of the NOC policy and its proposed implementation, the PCA has been engaging with its members, legal team and the ECB, collectively representing current players to find solutions on restrictions. Progress has been made across a number of implementation areas, however, each NOC request is on a case-by-case basis and there remains ongoing consultation,” a PCB spokesperson said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

ECB keen to protect English domestic cricket

ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould insisted that the NOC policy would protect English domestic cricket. Players may still obtain NOCs for leagues that are not overlapping with the T20 Blast or the Hundred. Except for the IPL, all other league schedules are directly in clash with English domestic season now. The PSL is scheduled to run from April 8 to May 19.

Due to pressure from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), players like Billings, Curran, Jordan, and Willey are expected to receive NOCs for the PSL albeit. Reportedly, the ECB NOC consultation group is going to assess requests based on the guidelines set in November. Meanwhile, for players like, Kohler-Cadmore (Somerset) and Vince (Hampshire), both on all-format contracts, situation is tricky. Taking part in PSL means missing at least the first six County games. On the other hand, players like Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan were marked unavailable. This came after ECB decided to not allow NOCs to six centrally contacted players who had registered for the draft earlier.

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