Counties have been advised they’ve till the top of May to suggest modifications to the ECB’s visa criteria for overseas gamers, after a difficult offseason for administrators of cricket.
Securing high-quality overseas gamers has by no means been more durable for counties as a result of a congested home schedule, overlaps with an rising variety of franchise leagues and the distinctive problem of a T20 World Cup in the center of the English summer time. As a end result, many counties have introduced in comparatively unheralded overseas gamers this yr.
Many gamers wouldn’t have certified for a visa underneath earlier criteria however the ECB efficiently lobbied the UK Home Office for a change in 2019. While visa criteria have been beforehand linked completely to worldwide caps, they’ve opened up in order that gamers who’ve performed 20 T20s in a full-member nation in the earlier three years are eligible.
While the change has created a brand new route for plenty of overseas gamers to qualify for a visa to play in county cricket, it has led to some uncommon conditions. One participant agent mentioned: “Some of our clients would have had opportunities to play Division One cricket in the County Championship, but they didn’t qualify for a visa due to the current T20-based criteria.”
The ECB has an annual session interval in which counties can suggest modifications to current criteria. The governing physique has no rapid plan to vary the criteria however would hearken to any proposals. These would then be despatched to the ECB’s board for approval and be introduced to the Home Office.
Any change would want to fulfill the Home Office requirement that gamers trying to get hold of a visa ought to “make a significant contribution to the development of their sport at the highest level in the UK”.
Cook mentioned: “The danger with opening it up too much is that you end up blocking opportunities for academy or second-team players that might otherwise get opportunities, and they end up drifting out of the game. You want overseas players coming over that will add value, and drive your existing group forwards.”
“A baptism of fire is a good way of putting it,” mentioned Cook, who grew to become director of cricket on the finish of final season after 4 years because the membership’s bowling coach. “The window for players to be available for county cricket has shrunk significantly… it has been a perfect storm and there have been some significant challenges for us.”