Not so long ago, James Vince, the opening batsman quit first-class cricket to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Recently, England has introduced a different No-Objection Policy which allows England cricketers to participate in Indian Premier League (IPL) and no other leagues happening around the world during English summers.
Regarding this, Vince had a lot to say. In his recent interview with EspnCricinfo, the 33-year-old said that when this policy was announced, it did not sit well with the players.
“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.”
Vince has become the fifth player to ink a white-ball county contract, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore is poised to renegotiate his Somerset deal along similar lines. However, some players have voiced their discontent behind closed doors, feeling that the IPL is being unfairly exempted, with English players receiving NOCs for the tournament regardless of their contractual status.
“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.
“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.”
Vince also said that he has not announced his retirement properly but in his mind he has moved on from England cricket
“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.”
“When I’m there in Pakistan, no doubt I’ll flick the live stream on and be looking at the scorecards. That’s when it’ll really hit home that something I’ve been involved in for the last 15 years, all of a sudden I’m not… It’ll be a strange feeling.”
