Cricket Australia could block Chris Lynn’s plans to play in the United Arab Emirates’ T20 competition this summer in a bid to protect the integrity of its Big Bash League.
The great Lynn was named on Monday night as one of a number of high-profile overseas stars to take part in the UAE tournament, which will clash directly with the Big Bash.
A number of BBL draft candidates were also named, meaning they will only play in the first half of the Australian competition before departing in early January for the United Arab Emirates, where teams are now owned by Premier League franchises india collected
Australian officials had long expected this to be the case for draft players and planned around it, with the exodus likely to occur at the same time Test stars return to the BBL. But it’s Lynn’s inclusion in the UAE roster that doesn’t sit well with CA.
As per ICC rules, all players competing in a T20 franchise league abroad require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their home board to enter. Although Lynn no longer has a national or state contract, Australia would still be considered his home base by the ICC.
CA officials had not yet received a request for such a certificate for Lynn and made it clear there was no guarantee it would be granted.
“Cricket Australia has not received any NOC application relating to a player’s participation in any overseas competition for the upcoming season,” a CA spokesperson said. “Our guiding principle remains the prioritization and protection of Australia’s domestic summer of cricket and the interests of the game as a whole.”
The current players’ agreement also states that NOCs are normally only granted outside the Australian summer, either at the end of state cricket for the IPL and grade cricket for all other leagues.
Lynn’s management, players’ union and UAE league officials are aware of CA’s position.
Passed through Brisbane late last summer, Lynn would still be a crowd-puller and a magnet for television audiences in any of the eight Big Bash franchises.
There has been interest and even talks with Adelaide, but the reality is no club could match the $650,000 maximum salary on offer in the UAE.
CA also has some question marks over the validity of the UAE league’s ratification, given that 72 foreign players will be welcomed with 12 in each team.
The issue was raised at a meeting last month of national association chiefs, who believe the ICC charter dictates an allocation of just nine foreign players per league.
BBL draft nominees in the UAE incoming player list include Alex Hales, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mujeeb Ul Rahman, Evin Lewis, Colin Munro, James Vince and Dan Lawrence.
In better news for the BBL, positive talk continues about David Warner’s return to the BBL, having last played in the Australian league in 2013.