ECB contracts signed but not sealed

England's centrally contracted players have signed their 12-month deals, but the papers are yet to be handed over to the ECB because of question marks over their availability for the IPL in 2010.

The players were granted a three-week window for this year's event (with an extra week for those who don't play Tests) beginning in April but details for the 2010 season are still sketchy. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, has insisted that England players make a two-year commitment but the ECB are in a difficult position because the dates for 2010 have not been fixed.

"England players will be considered if we get answers to the above [conditions] by Monday, along with the No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the next two years," Modi said.

"The players have signed the [England] contracts but they are on my desk and I am holding on to them until we get a resolution on this," Sean Morris, the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph. "The players have asked me to make sure the finer details are all in place before they are released."

The third World Twenty20 is set to take place in the Caribbean in April 2010 after which England are due to play a Test series against Bangladesh in May. Both those events will clash with the IPL if it maintains its current position in the calendar.

The three-week window for this year came about after protracted negotiations between the PCA and the board. The ECB were originally keen for the players to return in time to have a County Championship match before the first Test, against West Indies, on May 6. Now, though, they will return just six days before the match.