WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – New Zealand Cricket (NZC)  have agreed to allow players returning from the ‘rebel’ Indian  Cricket League (ICL) to be selected for their national team  with immediate effect.

The NZC board voted yesterday to welcome back any  returning players without any stand-down period on the  condition they had severed all ties with the unofficial ICL.

“Like other Boards around the world we have had to clarify  our position on how to deal with former ICL players who wish to  return to international cricket,” Vaughan said in a statement.

“We consider ours is a reasonable policy. Individual  players need to make their own decisions over their future with  the ICL.

“Today’s decision is by no means a guarantee of selection  for any player — all former ICL players would need to earn  their way back into the national side on merit.”

The decision means New Zealand’s former ICL players would  be considered for inclusion in the national team as early as  August, when they tour Sri Lanka.

“Many of the ICL players have had limited cricket over the  past 12 months and there has been no ICL cricket played since  2008,” Vaughan said.

“The earliest time former ICL players would be eligible for  selection is in August, which would amount to almost 12 months  since the last ICL event.

“Taking all these factors into account the Board felt there  was little justification for a further stand-down period.”
New Zealand lost nine international players to the ICL and  Vaughan said they were keen to get all of their best players  back. Vaughan said pacemen Shane Bond and Darryl Tuffey had both  already indicated their willingness to return to the New  Zealand national side.

“There’s no question that New Zealand suffered heavily from  the ICL,” he said. “Our national side lost a significant number  of top players.”

The ICL is a privately run Twenty20 competition held in  India.
It features several former international players from  around the world but is not officially sanctioned by the  International Cricket Council.

Most international players who signed up were banned from  selection by their national boards after complaints from the  Indian cricket board (BCCI), which runs its own  fully-sanctioned twenty20 competition.

Earlier this week, the BCCI agreed to grant amnesty to  welcome back their players who had signed with the ICL, paving  the way for other countries to follow suit.