He has resigned as Hampshire's captain, will not compete in the County Championship this year and expects many English players to follow suit.
James Vince believes that the ECB’s new No-Objection Certificate (NOC) policy is unintentionally driving players away from first-class cricket and towards T20 leagues.
Vince, who just resigned as Hampshire’s captain, will not compete in the County Championship this year and expects many English players to follow suit.
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Vince made the decision primarily for family reasons. After strange incidents at their home in Hampshire, his family decided to move to Dubai. This relocation made it difficult for him to commit to the Championship. Playing a full domestic season in England also posed tax implications.
To secure a NOC for the Pakistan Super League under the ECB’s revised rules, he had to step away from domestic cricket. The policy aims to protect English competitions but has faced criticism from players. It has even led to discussions about potential legal action.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, James Vince said that the ECB’s new NOC policy sparked a lot of discussion among players. A WhatsApp group was created to talk about it. The initial reaction was largely negative. Many players felt that the rules would discourage them from playing red-ball cricket. They also believed it would limit their opportunities. Vince stated that players were frustrated and perplexed by several components of the policy, which they believed lacked clarity.
“When they first mentioned it, a WhatsApp group of players was created and there was a lot of discussion,” Vince tells ESPNcricinfo from Dubai. “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.”
James Vince criticized the ECB’s policy on PSL participation as being unclear. He claimed that the regulation might be impacted by relationships among the ECB, PCB, and BCCI. Vince pointed out that because the PSL is a shorter event than the IPL, players lose less domestic cricket by playing in it, making the restriction seem unfair.
The PSL’s move to April-May in 2025 has clashed with both the IPL and the start of the county season. Vince, who was signed by the Karachi Kings on a lucrative contract, stated that more English players could have joined the PSL if teams were not concerned about their availability owing to the ECB’s restrictions.
“That’s a big one that has caused a lot of confusion,” Vince said. “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.
James Vince explained that white-ball cricket offers increasing opportunities for players. Many are drawn to it because of the significant financial rewards. This is especially true during the domestic season. He noted that as players advance in their careers, the income gap between red-ball and white-ball cricket becomes more noticeable. This gap is pushing more players to prioritize white-ball formats.
“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. 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.”
James Vince has accepted that his international career is likely over, with his last appearance for England two years ago. He admitted he no longer expects to be called up for squads and has mentally moved on from the possibility. While he wished he had performed better and played more for England, he is now focused on making the most of his cricketing career elsewhere.
“I’d say it’s probably pretty much done,” Vince concedes. “There’s no point announcing your retirement when you’re not playing for England, but in my head I’ve kind of moved on from the possibility.
“It’s certainly not something where, when squads get announced, I’m looking at my phone expecting someone to call me. I had a taste of it, which was good; I obviously would have liked to have done better and played more for England but as that hasn’t worked out, I’m trying to make the most of my career.”
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