Limit on T20 leagues a restriction of trade, says FICA

The recent speculations about cricketers being limited to three T20 leagues per year as per a move by the International Cricket Council to regulate the poaching of players from international cricket to a purely freelancing route have been met with considerable disagreement from the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA).

In the ICC conference in Dublin, the issue of growing T20 leagues throughout the world and the suspicion regarding the increase in quantity hampering the quality led the members of the conference to reach the conclusion of possibly putting a ceiling on the number of leagues a player participated in, in a calendar year.

The objective of the move was stated as "to preserve the value of international cricket and its status as the pinnacle of cricket competition ensuring that the best players are available to play international cricket".

FICA labelled the move as "narrow" in its perspective and in a media release on Wednesday, stated, "International cricket needs to be strong and attract the best players. Establishing an appropriate balance between the two is critical for the future,"

It referred to the potential decision by the ICC as amounting to a restriction of trade on professionals who are absolutely within their rights to be allowed free participation globally and that it was a "fundamental" that they are entitled to.

"Cricket's focus should be less on restricting players from playing where they are valued and more on positive measures to ensure an attractive system including in relation to scheduling, economic models and the creation of world-class environments. The movement of players is a fundamental aspect of growing and developing the game globally in both existing and new markets."

However, an ICC spokesperson has stated that the restriction is only a last resort, and while it will apply only to the centrally contracted players, they have come up with other moves as well to ensure that only the best quality of cricket is played around the world. The alternative measures are to restrict the newly coming leagues to a fewer number of international exports so that they serve the true purpose of growing cricket in that particular country, or for the payments of international recruits to be made to the grassroots clubs they belong to, rather than to their board.

ICC is considering these options to make sure that the influx of franchise leagues all around the world does not lead to corrupt practices and cricketers all over the world play only in the most legitimate brackets of leagues globally.