Photo Credit: Linkedin Profile Photo of Mark Butcher
Former English Cricketer and commentator Mark Butcher was interviewed on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast about the ECB‘ new policy denying non-objection certificates (NOCs) during the domestic summer to players with red-ball contracts at English Counties.
Specifically, Butcher took aim at the ECB’s singling out only the IPL for an exception. 12 English players are set to feature in its upcoming edition.
This came after Hampshire’s captain James Vince, the longest-serving captain in the County Championship as of the 2024 season, signed a white-ball only contract with the club starting from the 2025 season to play in the PSL.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Mark Butcher criticized the exemption for the IPL while penalising other tournaments:
“I honestly think the biggest problem with this is the fact that they’ve said that the IPL doesn’t count. I think that’s where the big issue comes. Well, why? Why is the IPL more special than any of the others? You wouldn’t be able to make the case that it’s more of a developmental ground for players than any of the other competitions. The PSL is a pretty high standard, so why would that one get an exemption, whereas players are having to make big decisions about whether they play red-ball cricket or not just to play in the PSL. That causes a problem for the entire programme.”
Butcher added that the ECB’s handling of the situation lacked consistency:
“If you have one exemption from the rule, and the bigger players will be able to go off and do what they want… to have one competition stand aside at the expense of all the others makes it a very difficult argument to make from the ECB’s point of view.”
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
