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Former Black Caps Shane Bond and Hamish Marshall are among several overseas players cleared to play county cricket in England this season, despite their links with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).
The ICL is not recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or
the International Cricket Council (ICC).
English authorities had warned that "no-objection certificates", required by overseas players from their home boards before they could play in county cricket, were unlikely to be issued to anyone who had taken part in the ICL, a rival to the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League.
But following an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) meeting last night, Marshall and fast bowler Bond, who effectively called time on his international career by signing for the ICL, was given the go-ahead to appear for Hampshire.
Bond, who was expected to arrive in London via the United States today, will look to bolster an attack weakened by the retirement last month from first-class cricket of former Hampshire captain and Australia leg-spin great Shane Warne.
Gloucestershire will have Marshall in their side.
Marshall, who holds an Irish passport, had initially been refused permission to play for the south-west side because he last appeared for New Zealand on April 8, 2007, eight days after the April 1 cut-off, after he was called up to the Black Caps' World Cup squad in the Caribbean as a replacement for the injured Lou Vincent.
"I am extremely pleased that my registration has been approved by the ECB," Marshall told the Cricinfo website.
"I am pleased I can now concentrate on my cricket and help make this a great year for Gloucestershire."
"It has been a weight on my shoulders for the last couple of weeks and I am pleased I can now concentrate on my cricket and help make this a great year for Gloucestershire."
Gloucester chairman Tom Richardson said they were delighted that Marshall can now play.
"We can now kick off the season with a full batting lineup," he said.
Marshall's registration was now subject to receipt of the necessary paperwork.
Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, another ICL recruit, was another player cleared by the ECB.
Gillespie will turn out for Glamorgan after Cricket Australia said they had nothing to do with them following his retirement from state cricket.
However, the ECB didn't use its discretion in the cases of Wavell Hinds, Johan Van der Wath, Andrew Hall and Justin Kemp - all of whom had applied to play county cricket under the Kolpak ruling but were deemed not to have met the required criteria.
Kent, who want to play South Africa international Kemp this season, said they would appeal against the decision.
The Kolpak ruling refers to a European Court of Justice case in 2004.
Its outcome, in cricket terms, means a player from a country with an association agreement with the European Union, who also has a valid UK work permit, is treated as if he were a British or other European citizen and can therefore qualify as a domestic player for county cricket.
England's new season got underway Thursday with the traditional opening match between MCC and the champion county, Sussex, at Lord's.
Players cleared Thursday to appear in county cricket in 2008:
Hamish Marshall (Gloucestershire), Jason Gillespie (Glamorgan), Shane Bond (Hampshire), Saqlain Mushtaq (Surrey), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Johan Louw (Northamptonshire), Alfonso Thomas (Somerset), Dominic Telo (Derbyshire), Ryan Harris (Sussex), Pedro Collins (Surrey)
- NZPA
