ECB provides England Cricketer’s window for IPL
May 27th, 2008The English Cricket Board has announced that England’s tour to West Indies next spring will have an early finish, leaving sufficient space for centrally contracted players to compete in the second Indian Premier League - reported the Guardian UK.
The tour finishes on April 4, just six days before the 2008 IPL is due to start. It makes for a stark contrast with England’s last tour to the region in 2004, which ran on through to May 5.
England’s players are keen to take part in the IPL, and recent stories doping rounds suggests that Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have both been lined up for substantial contracts in the competition next season by IPL Franchisees in India. Ravi Bopara and Saj Mahmood have both spoken of being approached by IPL franchises as well.
IPL 2008 | IPL Gallery | IPL Videos | IPL Toolbar
The World Twenty20 being staged in England is scheduled for next summer and as such the ECB could rightly point out that the IPL would provide a useful opportunity players to find form through match practice. The schedule for the tour also includes a Twenty20 international against West Indies, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on March 15 which can be a good pinter for the Franchisees on the look out for performing players.
In their Barbados Tour, England will play two three-day practice matches, before Tests in Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados and Trinidad. Following the Twenty20 international, England will play a five-match one-day international series finishing with a day-night international in St Lucia.
Tags: Andrew Flintoff, cricket board, ECB, indian premier league, IPL, ipl franchisees, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, window for IPLPosted in Cricket News, IPL News |