Vince raises concerns over ECB's new NOC rules as IPL gains favour, potentially diminishing red-ball cricket talent pool

Due to the conflict in scheduling, the England board made a decision in November 2024 to withhold issuing NOCs to players who participate in all formats of the game and intend to join the Pakistan Super League during the April-May season. The board's primary concern was to ensure early rounds of the County Championship wouldn't be affected.

However, Vince defied ECB’s decision and quit first-class cricket to play for Karachi Kings in the upcoming PSL season.

"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," Vince, who has played 13 Tests, told ESPNCricinfo.

"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."

The 33-year-old, who is currently playing for Gulf Giants in the ILT20 tournament in the UAE, was retained by the Kings ahead of the PSL draft.

The PSL this season clashes with the IPL and also with the County championships.

"That's a big one that has caused a lot of confusion. 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," Vince said.

"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."

Vince, a long-serving Hampshire captain, has played 197 first-class games across 15 years for the team. He captained them 92 times, and led them to three consecutive top-three finishes.

However, Vince believes more players will follow him and forego red-ball contracts.

"There's more and more opportunities for guys to play white-ball cricket and earn decent money during our domestic season… You're talking quite large sums of money in terms of what they forego by playing red-ball cricket," Vince said.

"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," he said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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