Strauss says T20 leagues must be embraced

Andrew Strauss has said England will have to make some "hard decisions" as they look to improve their white ball cricket.

Suggesting that the shorter formats had always been seen as "the poor relation" of the Test game in England, Strauss, the director of England cricket, stated his desire for players to participate in overseas T20 leagues - particularly the IPL and the Big Bash - and said that, in order to cope with the demands of the schedule and help enhance specific skills, there may be increasing differentiation between England's red and white ball squads.

Stung by another dismal showing in the World Cup, the ECB have spent the last few months reviewing their domestic structure with the aim of improving the standard of white-ball cricket. Among the options under discussion at present are playing white-ball cricket in blocks - favoured by players and coaches who believe this will enable them to focus on specific skills and raise the standard of the competitions - and the possibility of playing a domestic 50-over tournament - perhaps made up of the best players in the north against the best in the south - in the UAE in March of each year.

But Strauss believes that more change is necessary. He believes there must be a change of mindset with English cricket, with the presumption that Test cricket is the priority becoming a thing of the past.

"Our game in our country is relatively well set-up for Test cricket," Strauss said. "We've got to number one in the world and we've won the last four Ashes series at home. But the one-day stuff has been a constant thorn in our side over a long period of time.

"That's the area that we really need to do things differently. If we don't do things differently we won't get a different result. We're not going to make massive strides in one-day cricket without making some hard decisions along the way, and I think we have to be prepared to do that."

Among those "hard decisions" is likely to be making a call on which players are allowed to participate in the IPL. While some players - the likes of Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy - might be viewed as limited-overs specialists at this stage in this career, others - the likes of Alex Hales and Jos Buttler - are automatic selections in white-ball cricket and on the fringes of the Test team. Sending them to the IPL might improve their white-ball skills, but it would deny them the opportunity to play County Championship cricket and potentially damage their Test ambitions.

David Willey, too, may not be near the Test team at present but has aspirations in that direction. He has been given permission to play in the Big Bash instead of being part of the England Lions series in UAE during December and if he were to go to the IPL - and it is far from certain he would win a contract - he might return to England just as the white-ball section of the season commences and find himself playing very few first-class games.

"In the past we have always made our sacrifices by resting people for one-day series rather than Test matches," Strauss said. "But in future we are going to need far more balance between the two formats.

"If someone is a white-ball specialist and his focus in the short term is on white-ball cricket, then it seems an easy decision to make between players gaining IPL experience and missing part of the English summer.

"There's always going to be some people in the middle who are good enough to be playing in both forms, but hopefully we'll have a fair amount of separation between the sides.

"I don't think you are saying that for the rest of your career you will be viewed only as a white-ball specialist. What you're saying is, 'we see you playing a very full role in white-ball cricket, and at the moment, you're not one of those guys that is fundamental to both forms of the game. Therefore, focus on getting better in white-ball cricket.'"

Strauss also suggested that players will be rested - from Test and limited-overs cricket - to ensure they are fresh for the most important series. That may prove particularly relevant to a player like Joe Root who has proven himself a first choice in all formats, but has a longstanding back problem that may require careful management.

"It's more relevant for bowlers," Strauss said, "but batsmen also have the mental fatigue factor. If you make the assumption they are going to need rest at some stage, you may need to ask, 'How important is the Test series we're playing?' In England, the vast majority of players still see Test cricket as the pinnacle, but we can never be arrogant and just assume that it will last forever."

The irony of Strauss' words will not be lost on Kevin Pietersen. Not so long ago, Pietersen was shunned by the ECB after he expressed his desire to participate in the IPL and claimed rest periods would improve his long-term performance. Now Strauss is embracing the IPL and agreed that rest is necessary if the best players are going to enjoy prolonged careers in international cricket.

Pietersen remains a pariah, however, with Strauss confirming that England have "pretty much identified the group of players we want to work with in the short term."