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Justin Kemp: Quitting the ICL was an easy decision

Justin Kemp says the decision to sever his links with the rebel Indian Cricket League was an easy one to make.

The South African all-rounder and club-mate Azhar Mahmood ended their contracts with Hyderabad Heroes and Lahore Badshas respectively last week and committed themselves to the county

Justin Kemp's decision to quit the ICL is good news for Kent
Justin Kemp's decision to quit the ICL is good news for Kent

The pair took advantage of an amnesty offered to players involved in the ICL to end their contracts by May 31 and Kemp said: "It didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I went in the first place because I wasn’t going to miss any cricket for Kent but in the long run it wasn’t the right decision and I probably should have carried on in mainstream cricket.

"I thought things would sort themselves out but it was an easy decision, not knowing what’s going on in ICL and being labelled a rebel isn’t great when you are playing first class cricket. I am just pleased that I am free from all that now."

Azhar Mahmood
Azhar Mahmood

He added: "It was a personal decision and I was under no pressure from anybody. ICL are in financial trouble, nobody is sure what is going on and there is a lack of communication.

"I didn’t want to be in a position where I was banned from playing any kind of cricket."

Kemp (pictured above right) and Mahmood’s (pictured right) involvement in the unauthorised league would have led to Kent missing out on playing in the Champions League last year if they had retained their Twenty20 crown.

Kemp added: "There are still a lot of grey areas regarding the whole ICL issue and things seem to change from day to day.

"The insecurity also worried me and I’m happy it’s finished with."

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