England dough James Vince decided to retire from first-class cricket in 2025 to make himself fit Pakistan Super League 2025. The decision came as a shock to Hampshire Cricket and its supporters as Vince is one of their highly experienced players.
Vince has been an integral part of the Hampshire team in various formats for years now. He is also the captain of the team but has now decided to give up the red ball format. However, he will continue to play white ball cricket for Hampshire.
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James Vince steps away from first-class cricket to play PSL
Under the ECB’s new policy, the governing body will only allow NOCs to allow white-ball specialists to play in overseas leagues, apart from the IPL, for tournaments that take place in the English summer when the County Championship is held.
Politics has left Vince to retire from first-class cricket or opt out of his PSL contract. The 33-year-old England striker chose the first one, considering his future and his family.
In a statement, James Vince thanked Hampshire Cricket but said he was still hungry to perform for them in T20 cricket. He cited his family and his future as the biggest reasons for giving it up district championship.
Notably, Vince moved his family to Dubai after the attacks on his home last year, and Hampshire cited this as one of the main reasons why he secured a new white-ball-only contract until 2025.
“I love Hampshire. It’s been my club and my home for 16 years, so I want to do my best to continue playing for Hampshire in T20 cricket and hopefully build on our success in the competition (Blast),” Vince said.
“I also have to figure out what’s best for my family and combine that with the stage of my career. I’m so grateful to everyone at the Utilita Bowl for supporting me through a really tough time last year and allowing me to take this next step,” he added.
James Vince’s withdrawal doesn’t mean he’s fully retired from first-class cricket. He may then return to England’s domestic red ball circuit. However, his chances of making it to England’s Test team are pretty slim.
Giles White responds to James Vince’s decision
Hampshire’s director of cricket Giles White issued a statement in support of James Vince and asked supporters to understand his plight. He looks forward to playing Vince in Vitality Blast.
“James (Vince) has been at the heart of the club for the best part of 20 years, showing absolute commitment on and off the pitch as the team’s leading striker and captain,” he said.
“We understand that this announcement will be disappointing for many fans, but we hope that everyone will join us in celebrating what he has given to our club over many years and support him as he fulfills his commitment to continue to lead the Hawks into the 2025 Vitality Blast “he added.
James Vince’s PSL numbers
James Vince was retained by Karachi Kings until the PSL 2025 draft on January 13. He’ll likely end up in the top order for them. Vince has so far played 45 matches in the PSL and has scored 1166 runs at an average of 27.76 and a strike rate of 136.69 with four fifties.
Currently, he is representing the Sydney Sixers in the 2024-25 Big Bash League, where he has scored 228 runs in six matches at an average of 45.60 and a strike rate of 139.02. He has scored a hundred and fifty so far this season.
