Warne wants IPL window created

Shane Warne has called on the ICC to introduce a window for the IPL so that players from every country can take part in what he called the most intense experience of his 20-year career. Warne said not even the biggest Ashes series could compare to the IPL, which was won by Warne's Rajasthan Royals last year.

"In 20 years of playing - I got in the state squad in 1987-88 for Victoria - I haven't experienced anything like what I experienced in India last year," Warne said in the Age. "It was truly unbelievable.

"The Ashes [in] '05 comes pretty close to the intensity of the crowd and the passion and the news and everything. But we were getting 110,000 at Eden Gardens … there were 25,000 people outside the ground for the final, plus 90,000 in the stadium."

Having retired from Australian duties, Warne was free to enjoy the full IPL programme, while players still representing their countries flitted in and out as their Test and ODI duties demanded. Warne said a two-month freeze on other international cricket was needed so the IPL could have the best cricketers available.

"For world cricket, the IPL for April and May, there should be no international cricket, and all the players around the world should be involved," Warne said. "For the players, they have to have that opportunity to earn the money they can possibly make, but also to sell the brand of cricket worldwide. Twenty20, I believe, is one of the best forms to do that."

Despite Warne's love of Twenty20, he backed Cricket Australia's decision not to allow players involved in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa to take part in the domestic Twenty20 preliminary final on Wednesday. The winner of the game between Queensland and Victoria earns a place at the multi-million dollar Champions League but the state stars Cameron White, David Hussey and James Hopes are not allowed to play.

"The country should come first," Warne said. "If the Australian selectors and the captain believe it's the best thing for Australia that David Hussey and Cameron White have to play for Australia, well then, that's what we have to do.

"But as a Victorian I would love them to play for Victoria, and because it's a Twenty20 game it's not going to take a lot out of them. They've still got a lot of time to prepare. But if they get injured, then what do you do? Imagine if Cameron White and David Hussey both got injured -- there'd be uproar."