The growing clout of franchise leagues – evident in Jason Roy becoming the first England cricketer to withdraw from a current national contract last month to play in Major League Cricket in the US – has created urgency for national boards to do more to safeguard the international game.
And the ICC are next month set to ratify two immediate changes to prevent T20 cricket from cannibalising the international game: a reduction in the number of overseas players to four per starting XI, and also mandating T20 leagues to pay national boards for each player they can sign.
The limit of four per franchise team is an urgent response to two of the new leagues that have been created this year. The International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates allowed nine overseas players per team while America’s Major League Cricket, which launches next month, will permit nine in each squad and six in each playing XI.
The second change will see all T20 leagues required to give national boards 10 per cent of the fee they will pay each player, again matching the Indian Premier League. As T20 leagues grow in value, this figure will become an increasingly important source of income for national boards.
It is proposed that the limit of overseas players will only apply to players from the 12 Full Members, potentially allowing leagues in emerging countries to create extra slots for Associate players.
Exclusive: Jason Roy's decision to cancel his contract has brought the ICC's attempt to protect the international game into sharp focus
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