Strauss seeks balance for IPL targets
England's star players will depart for the Caribbean on Wednesday without having signed their central contracts
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Talks were ongoing on Tuesday between the ECB and England's Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), with Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff among the most prominent candidates for a lucrative stint in the IPL.
Flintoff is believed to have been targeted by franchises in Mumbai and Delhi, while Pietersen was seen having talks with representatives from the Bangalore Royal Challengers during England's recent tour of India. But the deadline for players making themselves available for the IPL is February 4 - the same day as the first day of the opening Test in Jamaica - while the auction itself takes place two days later.
The IPL debate was an issue before the personality clash which led to Pietersen's resignation from the England captaincy and Peter Moores's sacking as head coach earlier this month, and it threatens to again destabilise a team now doing its best to rally round Strauss.
"There's a huge will on behalf of the players, the PCA and the ECB to get it done and dusted as soon as possible," Strauss said at Gatwick Airport's Hilton Hotel. "Everyone will work as hard as they can to ensure it's done before the cricket starts.
During last season's inaugural IPL campaign, England players were effectively barred from the tournament because of a fixture clash with their home international programme.
"From the players' point of view, there are huge opportunities there financially," said Strauss. "We need to find a way of marrying the opportunities available to the players and making sure the players are able to commit themselves to playing for England."
England's management has already agreed to a two-week "window" from April 10-24 in a competition, and the wealthy owners of the franchise teams will bid for some of the world's best unsigned players at an auction on February 6. But Lalit Modi, the IPL chief, has said anyone involved must be prepared to commit for at least a four-week stint.
One compromise being mooted is a three-week IPL spell for the likes of Pietersen and Flintoff, which would allow them to return to England in time for the first Test against West Indies at Lord's on May 6.
However, they would then be ruled out of the preceding round of County Championship fixtures, a move that would anger their domestic sides and raise questions about their readiness to play Test cricket.
Strauss, unlikely to be an IPL target even before becoming England captain as he has not played one-day international cricket since the 2007 World Cup, said: "Players have to be fully prepared for a Test match.
"What that preparation is depends on the player to a certain extent," he added. "I believe the players who will be involved in the IPL are experienced campaigners. They didn't just turn up yesterday. They know what Test cricket is about and know what preparation they need."
England are only playing West Indies at home in the run-up to the Ashes after Sri Lanka pulled out when it became clear they couldn't field their best team because of players' IPL commitments. But there are concerns the West Indies could be similarly weakened, leading to accusations that Test cricket - which administrators continue to insist is the pinnacle of the world game - was being devalued.
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