Days after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, respecting the unanimous views of his country’s cricketers, gave them the go ahead to choose the Indian Premier League over tour games in England, world cricket is already starting to rumble.

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat on Friday called for a need to check the impact of IPL on international fixtures. “If we don’t manage this situation, it could threaten the lifeblood of all member countries,” he said.

Meanwhile, here in India, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah gave the Indian board’s stand on the issue by saying that countries needed to keep the IPL schedule in mind when deciding upon tours to avoid a situation where players are reluctant to travel with the national team.

But despite that stand, Shah insisted that the BCCI was not looking to press for an IPL window — the only conceivable alternative that can ensure such situations don’t arrive.

Window for IPL

“We will go by what the ICC members decide. The months of April and May (when IPL will be played next year) automatically create a window. And in case any board wants their players to play in the IPL, they need to keep this in mind when the mutual contract is signed. The respective boards need to handle the situation. Neither other boards nor the IPL nor the ICC can do anything about it,” he said.

While the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hasn’t received any intimation from its players as yet, the fact that it is willing to think about the SLC’s demands is also proof of how the ECB could possibly be under pressure too to allow changes in the schedule. Top English players Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are reportedly already in talks with some IPL franchise owners to sign up for the 2009 season.

... contd.