SL: IPL before England tour
2008-07-10 21:19
Colombo - Sri Lanka will allow their top
players to compete in the Indian Premier League rather than tour
England next year, Sri Lanka Cricket said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive Duleep Mendis will
inform the England Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday that they are
not able to send a full strength side and will discuss
alternative arrangements.
England invited Sri Lanka for two Test matches and three
one-day internationals in April and May after the British
government cancelled Zimbabwe's scheduled visit.
However, the proposed tour dates clash directly with the
lucrative Indian Premier League, which runs from April 10 to May
25, in which 13 Sri Lanka cricketers have contracts.
"We will be taking up the matter with the ECB shortly to
find what alternatives we can arrive at without upsetting both
parties," Mendis told reporters.
"The players were already committed to play in the IPL and
they have also assured us that they would give the 2011 tour of
England top priority ahead of the IPL.
"Taking these points into consideration, we couldn't let
them down.
"Therefore it was agreed that the players be allowed to play
in the IPL next year."
Sri Lanka Cricket will see whether the dates can be pushed
back, which is unlikely to be possible due to the World Twenty20
Cup starting in June.
If England cannot change dates then Sri Lanka will offer to
send a weakened squad, Mendis said.
All Sri Lanka's top cricketers, including captain Mahela
Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath
Jayasuriya, are contracted with IPL franchises on three-year
deals.