ECB chairman Richard Thompson has indicated that the board will tread cautiously in granting No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to English players wishing to participate in the proposed Afghanistan Premier League T20 (APL). However, there are lingering doubts regarding the league’s future.
This comes after a recent report by Cricinfo highlighted the ECB’s tentative approval for NOCs, despite their boycott of bilateral series against Afghanistan due to concerns over the Taliban government’s treatment of women. The decision has sparked considerable debate. Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, instrumental in urging England to forgo playing Afghanistan during last year’s Champions Trophy, advised players to “think seriously about the consequences” of involvement with the league.
During an event at Lord’s, Thompson appeared to reconsider the ECB’s position, although he emphasised the legal limitations in restricting player movement. “Our laws are very clear over restraint of trade,” he remarked, pointing out that without a valid reason, preventing players from working elsewhere could be unlawful.
The issue of NOCs for the APL, however, remains unresolved. Thompson stated, “That’s a whole other issue, and that hasn’t come to us yet. But when it does, we will have to consider that very carefully.”
Preparations for the APL continue with a dozen England-qualified players registered for the upcoming draft. Notable names include Will Smeed, James Rew, Asa Tribe, and Dawid Malan. The draft is set for October 24, while the league itself is scheduled for December 27 to January 16. Nonetheless, Cricinfo notes that the league organisers face significant challenges, particularly concerning securing owners for two of the five franchises.
A source, who requested anonymity, described the league’s potential situation as “touch and go,” citing a significant hurdle in acquiring franchise buyers before the tournament launch.
Mark Butcher, the former England batter, urged the ECB to provide players with clear direction concerning their involvement. He attributed the ambiguity to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) shortcomings in enforcing its standards regarding Afghanistan’s Full Member status.
On the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast, Butcher expressed concern: “The thing that always bothers me most about any conversation around Afghanistan cricket… is that as Full Members, they breach the ICC’s own criteria for qualification for that status, simply by not having a women’s team [and] not having any sort of equality across men’s and women’s sport,” he said. Butcher added that if the ICC and potentially the ECB are content to permit such arrangements, it poses a moral conundrum for individual players and the broader cricketing community.
