Hampshire’s James Vince has retired from red-ball cricket in 2025 and accepted a lucrative Pakistan Super League contract, and the ECB have made it clear they will restrict players from competing with their county Look for franchise T20 contracts when signing red ball contracts.

Vince’s move comes amid a dispute between the ECB and the county council over the governing body’s new policy on No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

So what is NOC? Why did the European Central Bank change its policy? Who will be most affected by this move?

What are the differences between the ECB and participants?

Vince and a number of other English players have been seeking clarity from the ECB on whether they will be granted NOC qualifications for the Pakistan Super League and other T20 tournaments, which will clash with domestic summer competitions.

Players reportedly reacted furiously in late November when the ECB announced new policies for national Olympic committees, with chief executive Richard Gould saying the policy aimed to ” Defend our game”.

The new policy will see players excluded from NOCs in all overseas leagues taking place during the British summer, including the PSL, Caribbean Premier League and MLB, with the exception of the Indian Premier League.

“We need to protect our summer,” Gould said. “When we have players under contract we want to encourage them to stay and play our games.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) said at the time that they were blindsided by the policy and that their sense of “genuine collaboration” with the ECB had disappeared.

There is even the threat of legal challenges on the grounds of trade restrictions. “The PCA’s legal team is currently completing a thorough review of the implementation of the policy,” it said in November.

Why is the ECB not allowing players to participate in PSL matches?

While the PSL was once a popular off-season competition for English players, its new slot in the calendar (April 8 to May 19) means it now clashes with the four-day County Championship.

Players on white-ball contracts with their counties will receive NOCs for matches that do not conflict with the Vitality Blast or the Centenary, but players on all format contracts will not receive NOCs.

Gould explained that the ECB’s tougher stance on national Olympic committees was to prevent domestic competitions from being “undermined” by overseas leagues, amid growing concerns that domestic competition could be disrupted if the best players played elsewhere. The product will be diluted.

Vince has signed a contract in various formats – captaining the club in four-day cricket and T20 cricket – until Monday when he was retained by Karachi Kings in the PSL draft. The switch to white-ball only was announced on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old, who was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning squad, has endured a challenging 2024 personally after several attacks on his home. Therefore, his family decided to move to Dubai.

Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “We recognize this news will be disappointing to many fans but hope everyone can join us in celebrating (Vince’s) many years of service to our club. “

Which players are affected?

Somerset batter Tom Kohler-Cadmore Will be affected by the European Central Bank’s new policy on national oil companies.

With his full-format county contract yet to be changed, the 30-year-old is currently set to miss at least the first six tournament games of the season if he is to fulfill his PSL contract with Peshawar Zalmi.

Four other British players – Tom Curran (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Sam Billings (Kent) & David Willey (Northamptonshire) – Will play in the PSL but as there are only white-ball deals with their respective counties, there won’t be any issues.

Recent England internationals include Sajib Mahmood, Luke Wood and george gartonthe current county contract mainly covers white-ball cricket but also includes a pay-as-you-go option for the Championship.

If they are to participate in a T20 league that conflicts with domestic summer competitions, they will not be eligible for NOC status unless they retire from red-ball cricket.

Six England central contract players signed up for the PSL draft but were marked “unavailable” on the long list sent to teams after the ECB clarified that they would not be awarded NOCs, according to reports.

This includes Jonny Bairstow – Has not played for England since June – and Adil Rashid.

Hussain: The key to balance between red and white balls

Nasser Hussain, Sky Sports: “I was in Essex a few days ago and they were talking about Vince’s situation and the consequences.

“He wasn’t just a white-ball specialist – he was a very, very good red-ball player who gave them runs for a long period of time – and he was the captain of the club.

“I guess he’s coming to the end of his career so if the PSL comes with an offer of £100,000 he’ll probably do what he can do on a freelance basis.

“Don’t you think countries like the West Indies, South Africa, or even New Zealand would say, ‘Welcome to our world?’

“We’re just now catching up to the fact that they’re coming into our summer. We’re also going to have the American franchise (MLC) in the summer.

“It’s just a battle between franchised white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket. Even at county level, red-ball games cost a lot of money.

“The balance between red-ball cricket and white-ball cricket is at a really critical juncture at the moment.”