Strauss makes Test vow

ANDREW STRAUSS insists England players will not miss Tests to compete in the Indian Premier League — despite the recent success of Ben Stokes in his first season at the tournament. Stokes was named the 2017 IPL’s most valuable player after a 12-game stint with Rising Pune Supergiant. But Strauss, who has pushed the white-ball formats during his time as ECB director of England cricket, is keen to protect the five-day game. Stokes, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler were allowed to miss the recent one-day series against Ireland so they could play in the IPL but former England captain Strauss said the prospect of players skipping Tests to earn big money in India was ‘unlikely’. He said: ‘Missing Test matches to play in the IPL sends out a very strong message about your priorities and I’d be uncomfortable with that.’