Hundreds of amateur cricketers face ban for violating Home Office regulations

Discrepancies reportedly relate to the ‘amateur’ status of players from overseas, who may be considered ‘professional’ under Home Office rules

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Approximately 1,700 amateur cricketers in England and Wales could be deemed ineligible to play for their clubs after a recent audit on visas.

BBC Sport reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has flagged a large number of male and female players who violate regulations put in place by the Home Office.

A high percentage are unpaid amateurs who signed from overseas to compete in recreational leagues, arriving in the United Kingdom for experience.

Many of the discrepancies reportedly relate to the ‘amateur’ status of these players who may actually be considered ‘professional’ in the Home Office’s guidelines, which defines a pro as any player who “has represented their nation or national team within the previous two years, including all youth and development age groups from under-17s upwards”.

This would include any player who has taken part in a T20 international for any country represented by the International Cricket Council (ICC), a ruling that could play havoc on the cricket season as it reaches its climax.

It’s been a difficult summer for county teams to snap up overseas talent for a number of reasons. The increasing schedule has posed an issue, with significant overlaps between competitions and ongoing discussion around the visa criteria required to land foreign talent.

The ECB successfully lobbied for looser Home County rules in 2019 and has an annual consultation period in which counties can propose alterations to existing criteria. However, it is a confusing set-up that has led to quality players having their time limited after only being granted a short-term visa.

In May, Matt Roller of ESPNcricinfo noted this is the “toughest overseas market ever”, highlighting the example of players who have solely appeared in the Big Bash League not being eligible for long-term visas under the current laws.

Players impacted by the audit will be contacted by the ECB. The expectation is that those affected will not be able to see out the remainder of the season, leaving their teams short on numbers at a time when trophies are being decided.