The ECB has toughened its already firm stance on anyone playing in the Indian Cricket League (ICL). In a statement released last night after consultation with lawyers, the board said that any England-qualified cricketers playing in the ICL in future will be banned from county cricket.

Four former England players who played in the first phase of the ICL late last year are in the clear, however. Chris Read, Darren Maddy, Vikram Solanki and Paul Nixon would only be banned if they played again, although the wording of the statement suggests that the ECB would like to have punished them if their lawyers had allowed.

The position with overseas cricketers is not quite so clear but the statement says that no ICL players of any nationality will be registered for county cricket unless their home authorities are prepared to issue a “no objection” certificate. Mushtaq Ahmed, of Sussex, is the highest-profile example. He is due to play his first ICL game on Tuesday but Sussex are waiting to see whether the Pakistan Cricket Board will object, given that the leg spinner has not played for his country since 2003.