Disaffected county players discuss Hundred boycott as ‘nuclear option’ in NOCs row

Online Editor "Valley Vision" 2 weeks ago

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The Telegraph reported the boycott threat on Friday, and ESPNcricinfo understands that players have raised it as a nuclear option with their agents, and in crisis talks with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), if the policy does not change. The PCA declined to comment, and the prospect of a boycott has so far been discussed independently of the players’ union.

The timing is particularly unfortunate for the ECB ahead of Monday’s second-round deadline in the Hundred’s sales process, which will see prospective investors submitting offers for stakes in the eight teams. The ECB declined to comment, while a source insisted that the timing was coincidental and that the potential for a boycott would have been raised regardless.

The latest development comes after a chaotic week behind the scenes in the English game, with players scrambling for clarification over the new policy. There is confusion at apparent discrepancies between the wording of the policy itself and the details briefed by the ECB, and frustration at limited consultation with the PCA before its publication.

Around 40-50 players put their frustrations across to the PCA across two group calls staged on Monday, and suggested potential next steps. These included the idea of a collective policy of non-engagement with the Hundred’s retention process, which is expected to begin imminently and run until late February.

In practice, such a move appears unlikely – not least because the ECB’s board are understood to have ratified pay rises for the 2025 edition of the Hundred, ahead of further increases once deals with private investors have been signed off. The group of players who have raised the option is not thought to include anyone on an England central contract, though does feature some who were among the Hundred’s higher earners last year.

Several players were incensed to learn on Monday – via ESPNcricinfo’s reporting – that players with ‘pay-as-you-play’ red-ball provisions in their contracts would be considered the same as all-format county cricketers. Those frustrations were raised by agents in a PCA meeting on Wednesday afternoon, who cited inconsistencies with precedents around insurance.

The PCA is awaiting legal advice before working out its own next steps, while several players want answers as to whether they will be granted NOCs to fulfil long-standing commitments for the winter. Male English players have already featured in leagues in Abu Dhabi, Guyana and Nepal since the end of the season, with Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) starting next weekend.

Players also want to know where they stand before the six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises step up recruitment for the 2025 season, which will clash with the first two months of the County Championship. Some English players have already agreed deals in principle to play in the PSL, with a draft date and recruitment regulations expected to be published this month.

The first-class counties are understood to be generally supportive of the new policy. One source predicted that the regulations would prompt a handful of players to retire from first-class cricket, but said that the English game as a whole would benefit from the ECB’s attempts to stave off the perceived threats posed by a significant player drain to overseas franchise leagues during the English summer.

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