ISLAMABAD: English cricketers have sought clarity from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on whether they will be granted a no objection certificate (NOC) after a few of them were signed on Monday to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the upcoming T20 league’s season this year, a report by ESPNcricinfo said. 

English cricketers last November reacted sharply to the ECB’s announcement of a new policy regarding NOCs. As per the new policy, the board said players would be denied NOCs for all overseas leagues that take place during the English summer, including the PSL, the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket, with the notable exception of the Indian Premier League. This means that players on white-ball contracts with their counties will be granted NOCs for competitions that do not clash with English T20 competitions, the T20 Blast or the Hundred.

The PSL has moved into an April-May window for 2025 due to the Champions Trophy tournament scheduled to be held in February and March, meaning it will clash with the start of the English season for the first time.

“English players are seeking clarity from the ECB over whether they will be granted No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) after they were signed to play in the PSL at Monday’s draft in Lahore,” ESPNcricinfo reported. 

English cricketers Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Peshawar Zalmi), Sam Billings, and Tom Curran (both Lahore Qalandars) were signed during Monday’s draft. Meanwhile, James Vince (Karachi Kings), Chris Jordan and David Willey (both Multan Sultans) were all previously retained by their respective franchises. 

The website said that the ECB has softened its stance on the NOCs after pressure from players, their agents and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA). At this stage, Billings, Curran, Jordan and Willey are all expected to be granted NOCs for the PSL, it added. 

“The board’s stance is that its NOC ‘consultation group’ will consider all requests against the criteria set out in November,” the report said. “ESPNcricinfo understands that in the case of the PSL, this will mean players will be eligible for NOCs if they are on white-ball contracts, or if they choose to renegotiate existing multi-format deals after the draft.”

The cricket website said six players with England central contracts registered themselves for the draft but were marked “unavailable” on a longlist sent to franchises on Sunday after the ECB clarified it would not grant them NOCs. 

“These included Jonny Bairstow, who has not played for England since June, and Adil Rashid, who is a white-ball specialist,” ESPNcricinfo said.