The ECB's new policy to prevent players from participating in global franchise leagues apart from IPL has sparked tensions between the board and its players. It is being reported that a group of English players are threatening to boycott next year's Hundred if the policy fails to change in the near future. 

The players have raised it as a nuclear option with their agents, and in crisis talks with the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), but so far the PCA has refrained from making further comments on this matter.

What is all the fuss regarding ECB's NOC policy? 

English players are required to obtain a NOC in order to participate in global franchise limited-overs tournaments. With the ECB's new NOC policy coming into effect this week, players have been left scrambling for clarification. 

Experts suggest that the wording of the policy is not believed to be in line with the details briefed by the ECB. Moreover, the limited consultation with the PCA before its publication, further adds fuel to fire. 

An estimated 40-50 English players have conveyed their frustration to the PCA and suggested potential steps to come to a resolution. Some of the steps 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.

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What's in store for ECB and its players?

Although the English players are visibly upset with ECB's latest NOC policy, such a practice in reality may seem far-fetched. For one thing, the ECB have approved a pay rise for the 2025 edition of the Hundred and that figure is supposed to surge a lot higher once deals with the private investors are signed off. 

Secondly, the group of players who have voiced their concerns are mostly not the ones on England's central contract. However, a handful few have been featured in the Hundred's higher earners last year.

Before deciding on its own course of action, the PCA is awaiting legal counsel, and a number of players are seeking clarification on whether they will be given NOCs to fulfill long-standing obligations over the winter. 

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has joined Lancashire County Cricket Club for the next five weeks. Known for his standout performance with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2024 title win, he will participate in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and the final two rounds of the Vitality County Championship in late August.

Lancashire County Cricket Club confirmed his signing in a statement on Friday. Venkatesh, the energetic Madhya Pradesh all-rounder, is excited about this chance and aims to make a strong comeback to the Indian national team.

Venkatesh’s excitement about county cricket debut

“I am incredibly excited about heading over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career. Lancashire is a very historic county with a long history of welcoming Indian players to their club. I am looking forward to emulating the likes of Farokh Engineer, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and most recently, Washington Sundar in wearing the Red Rose colours at Emirates Old Trafford,” Venkatesh stated.

“To test my skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions is going to really benefit my game. I hope that I can entertain the fans and help my Lancashire teammates to achieve their targets in both formats this summer.”, He added.

Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Performance, is thrilled about the new addition. “Venkatesh will add experience to a young side during the One-Day Cup, whilst providing an explosive batting option in the middle-order and another seam bowler that we can turn to with the ball,” Chilton said. He confirmed that Venkatesh will play in the County games against Surrey and Hampshire.

Venkatesh’s plans to return for Duleep Trophy

Media reports suggest that Venkatesh has not agreed to a long term contract, as he wants to return to India in time for the Duleep Trophy, which starts on September 5. He plans to use this domestic tournament to re enter the Indian national team setup.

The four squads for the Duleep Trophy will be chosen after India’s tour to Zimbabwe. Venkatesh’s performances for Lancashire will be closely watched by selectors as they finalize the teams for this prestigious domestic competition.

County cricket in England is facing a critical juncture, as the advent of The Hundred tournament has led to a reshuffling of the domestic cricketing calendar. This realignment has not only posed logistical challenges but also raised serious concerns about the welfare of players and the overall quality of the game.

The Impact of franchise cricket

With The Hundred occupying a significant portion of the summer cricketing calendar, the traditional fixtures such as the T20 Blast and the County Championship have been relegated to the fringes of the season. This condensed scheduling has resulted in a packed itinerary for domestic cricketers, leading to physical and mental strain.

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Concerns Raised by Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA)

A survey conducted by the PCA shed light on the mounting concerns among players regarding the grueling schedule. A staggering 81% of male players expressed apprehension about the physical toll of the rigorous calendar, with 62% highlighting the impact on mental health. The PCA has labeled the current domestic schedule as “unfit for purpose,” echoing the sentiments of players across the board. About 66% of PCA members feel there’s just too much domestic cricket.

Joe Root’s Call for Change

England’s cricket veteran, Joe Root, has emerged as a vocal advocate for reforming county cricket to safeguard the well-being of players and elevate the standard of the game. Root emphasizes the need for structural changes to align county cricket with international standards and maximize the potential of budding talent.

“I am extremely passionate about county cricket and it is apparent the schedule needs to change for a host of reasons to see long-lasting benefits for English cricket. County cricket is the breeding ground for some of the best talent in the game and this requires world leading structures to allow players to reach their full potential. This is a benefit for everybody in the game. We’re trying to find a way of getting the standard of first class cricket as close to the international game as we can,” Root said.

Championing Player Welfare

Root underscores the importance of prioritizing player welfare amidst the relentless demands of the cricketing calendar. He emphasizes the necessity of providing players with adequate time for recovery, preparation, and skill enhancement during the season.

“There’s a large number of players that don’t think the schedule is conducive to high level performance as it stands right now, we need to find a way of making that gap smaller and the product better,” said Root.

“Having space to recover, prepare and improve your game during the season is crucial and the creation of minimum standards to protect travel windows and player welfare is non-negotiable,” he added.

PCA’s Chief Operating Officer Response

Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s chief operating officer, called for a “balance” in scheduling to ensure player welfare.

“Back-to-back games have gone up considerably, and only looked at through a commercial lens. We understand that, but there needs to be a balance. There are reports of players who have got off the team bus, driven home and forgotten how they got there, almost on autopilot. We want to pre-empt it before anything disastrous happens,” said Mitchell.

“Our chief executive, Rob [Lynch] is worried about getting the call in the early hours of the morning when someone has driven off the M1. That scares us. 76% of players have concerns about safety when traveling. I don’t think it needs to be a massive reduction [in number of games] but we need to create some space,” Mitchell said.

England bowler Katherine Brunt has announced her retirement from county cricket. The 37-year-old, who is in the England squad for next month’s T20 World Cup, will play in this summer’s Hundred, but will not feature for the Northern Diamonds or Yorkshire.

Brunt has barely featured for her home county in recent seasons due to an increasingly busy international schedule and has not played county cricket since 2019. “I have played some games over the last few seasons, but it’s been two or three max per year because that’s all the schedule has allowed,” she said on Yorkshire’s official website. “There has been a time when I’ve been injured and not fully fit and I’ve played just as a batter.

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Katherine Brunt says, “I don’t want to hold those girls back”

“I don’t want to take up someone’s place in the team. It wouldn’t think that’s fair when there’s so much good young talent in that Diamonds set-up. “I don’t want to hold those girls back just because I’m someone who walks into the team because I need the practice. “That makes it hard for a coach who needs to develop their young players who will be needed for crunch time in finals when I’m not available. “I’m happy with what I’ve done”.

Brunt retired from Test cricket in June 2022 and has not played ODI cricket since July last year. Said that she is retiring from regional and domestic cricket to allow younger players to come through. Brunt won the Championship with Yorkshire in 2015. Will be in South Africa with England for next month’s T20 World Cup. She last played county cricket in 2019 and has played just eight times. For the Northern Diamonds across the first three years of regional cricket.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has roped in Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj for the last three matches of the LV Insurance County Championship season. During the Edgbaston Test against England toward the beginning of this month, where he took 4/66 in the hosts’ first innings, Siraj said that the outswinger hadn’t been working for him after the Indian Premier League, so he’d worked on honing his natural inswinger. Siraj is presently playing the ODI series in Zimbabwe however isn’t there in India’s T20 scheme of things.

A natural swinger of the ball, Siraj has played for his 26 times in all formats, taking 56 wickets.

Altogether, he has taken 403 wickets in 207 career matches with 194 of those in first-class cricket.

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“I can’t wait to join up with the Bears squad. I have always enjoyed playing in England with India and I’m excited to experience County Cricket. I would like to extend my gratitude to both Warwickshire County Cricket Club and BCCI for this opportunity.” 

Siraj said, after getting signed by Warwickshire

“Siraj is a fantastic addition to the squad and we can’t wait to welcome him to Warwickshire. He is one of the best fast bowlers in the world right now and his knowledge and experience will help bring an added dimension to our line-up. It’s been clear that we needed to strengthen our bowling attack for the crucial run-in period and I’m excited to see what Siraj can do in these three games.”

Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace said

India all-rounder Washington Sundar took a five-wicket haul on his County Championship debut for Lancashire against Northamptonshire. 

Having required four on Day 1 of the match, the off-spinner asserted one more scalp on Day 2 to register his maiden five-wicket pull in County cricket. Having picked the wickets of Will Young, Rob Keogh, Ryan Rickleton and Tom Taylor on Day 1, he excused Northamptonshire’s top-scorer Lewis McManus to finish his five-wicket pull. He completed the innings with shining figures of 5/76.

Sundar’s heroics assisted Lancashire with bowling their rivals out for 235.

Be that as it may, Northamptonshire returned solid with the ball and skittled Lancashire out for only 132.

Pacer Jack White was the pick of the bowlers with five wickets. Sundar fizzled with the bat, scoring only 2 before being caught LBW by White.

Northamptonshire then, at that point, lost an early wicket in their second essay as they went to Stumps at 25/1, driving their rivals by 128 runs.

Sundar was not the only Indian who sparkled in the County Championship.

Pacer Navdeep Saini likewise guaranteed a five-wicket haul for Kent against Warwickshire.

ALSO READ: Pujara 1st Sussex Batter in 125 years to hit a double 100

Cheteshwar Pujara, in the meantime, proceeded with his fantasy run for Sussex as he raised his third double century of the time from only seven matches. He fell for 231 against Middlesex. The veteran India hitter has scored five centuries in seven matches for Sussex. Umesh Yadav was bowling for Middlesex in the match, yet he failed to get a solitary wicket.

Preview

The 2021 Vitality Blast T20 Final will be contested between Somerset and Kent Spitfires on Saturday evening at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Somerset overcame Hampshire Hawks in Saturday’s first semi-final, winning by 2 wickets. Kent Spitfires proved too good for Sussex Sharks in the second semi-final. Read on as we preview this match. The final begins at 18:45 local time.

Somerset looked down and out against Hampshire Hawks in the semi-final before Ben Green, Craig Overton and Josh Davey got them over the line with the bat. They will feel they can win from any position. Kent Spitfires won the South Group and will be full of confidence against another of the teams they finished above in the group stage. They were very impressive against Sussex Sharks.

Match Details

Match: Somerset vs Kent 

Date: 18 September 2021

Time: 11:30 PM IST

Venue: Edgbaston Cricket Ground – Edgbaston, England

Where to watch live – Star Sports

Pitch Report

The wicket is expected to have good bounce and carry, presenting an even contest between bat and ball. Fast bowlers are likely to get some assistance with the new ball. A minimum score of 170 is a must. This is not an easy pitch to bat on with 18 wickets falling in the opening semi-final. We expect a par score to be around 165-170.

Weather Report

Cloudy conditions with the temperature falling from 19 degrees to 17 degrees during the final. Conditions will mostly be sunny during the primary half of the sport. there’s no chance of rain also 

Head-to-head

Overall

Matches- 14, Kent – 9, Somerset – 5

At Edgbaston Cricket Ground

Matches- 6, Kent – 4, Somerset – 2

Must read: IPL 2021: England’s Bairstow, Woakes, and Malan are poised to pull out of the Indian Premier League 2021.

Somerset vs Kent key Players

Tom Banton— Somerset

Tom Banton the keeper-batsman will get an opportunity on the big stage to prove his doubters wrong. Do not rule out a big score from Banton In the Patriots’ penultimate association game, he scored a 52-ball 102 against the Somerset. From there on, he followed up the thump with a 39-ball 77 against Kent in the semis.

Matt Milnes- Kent

Matt Milnes is the only player to have taken a 4-wicket and 5-wicket haul in the 2021 competition. He is our recommendation for Kent’s top wicket-taker against Somerset.

Somerset vs Kent Predicted Playing 11

Kent Predicted Playing 11

Zak Crawley, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly (C), Jack Leaning, Jordan Cox, Alex Blake, Matt Milnes, Fred Klaassen, Oliver Robinson (Wk), Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart.

Somerset Predicted Playing 11

Philip Salt (wk), Luke Wright (c), Ravi Bopara, Delray Rawlins, Harrison Ward, Oliver Carter, Mitchell Claydon, Ollie Robinson, Will Beer, Tymal Mills, Archie Lenham.

Team News

Kent

This is Kent’s first appearance in the T20 Blast Final since 2008 when they lost to Middlesex whilst trying to retain the trophy from 2007. Strong batting with reliable bowlers has got them to this stage and they will fancy their chances of claiming the title. Kent Spitfires won the South Group and will be full of confidence against another of the teams they finished above in the group stage. They were very impressive against Sussex Sharks. Pacers Matt Milnes (18 wickets) and Fred Klassen (14 wickets) lead the bowling charts for Kent. Kent will miss the services of Sam Billings who is participating in the IPL. Denly will captain the side in his absence.

Somerset

This match-up is a repeat of the 2009 Twenty20 Cup Final which saw Sussex beat Somerset by 63 runs at Edgbaston. The final was the first of three successive defeats in the final for Somerset between 2009 – 2011. Somerset’s only final win was in 2005 against Lancashire. Somerset looked down and out against Hampshire Hawks in the semi-final before Ben Green, Craig Overton and Josh Davey got them over the line with the bat. They will feel they can win from any position.

Somerset vs Kent Match Tips

Kent has pretty good chance to win this match