England top-order batsman James Vince has targetted the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for giving away too much preference to the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His statement came to light a week after he announced his retirement from first-class cricket in a bid to pursue his PSL ambitions.
A burglary incident at home last year rocked him and his family to the core forcing the 33-year-old to relocate to Dubai. Vince stepped down from the captaincy role for Hampshire last week and will take no further part in the County Championship this year.
Vince’s open criticism of ECB’s updated NOC policy
Last year, the ECB’s controversial policy came into effect which barred the English players from obtaining NOCs for any franchise leagues apart from the IPL during the English COuntry season. The move left many domestic and international English players enraged and visibility confused.
Although ECB’s chief executive Richard Gould confidently claimed that the move is in the best interests of English cricket, Vince fears more players will follow suit and relocate overseas to pursue franchise cricket worldwide.
"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."
ECB’s possible rationale behind favoring IPL over PSL
Vince, who is among one of the six players to sign a deal with a franchise in PSL, alleges that the unprecedented rule could be a direct result of the ever-evolving relationships between the ECB, PCB, and BCCI.
PSL tends to last for a shorter duration which means fewer County matches could be missed whereas the same can’t be said in the case of the IPL. The cash-rich league has a wider window period and the players can understandably not be left out for too long.
"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. 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.”
