Giles: National service trumps revised IPL

ENGLAND commitments will not play second fiddle to a rearranged Indian Premier League should stars like Ben Stokes (below), Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler find themselves in a calendar clash, Ashley Giles has warned.

The IPL was suspended last week as a result of India’s coronavirus crisis, leaving 31 matches unfulfilled and leading to speculation of a midSeptember resumption.

That time-frame would be particularly tight for the competition’s England stars, who have whiteball trips to Pakistan and Bangladesh slated between the end of the summer and October’s T20 World Cup.

The England and

Wales Cricket Board agreed to let IPL contracted players compete in a full tournament, even if that meant skipping next month’s home Tests against New Zealand. However, Giles, managing director of England men’s cricket, has made it clear

international duty will come first for the rest of a year that culminates in an Ashes tour.

‘If those tours are going ahead I’d expect them (IPL players) to be there,’ he said. ‘The New Zealand scenario was very different. A rearranged IPL...none of us knows what that looks like at the moment, where it’s going to be, or when or if. Our programme is incredibly busy and, within that, we’re going to have to look after our players. But we’ve got a lot of important high-profile cricket, so we’re planning on the involvement of England players in England matches.’

Giles also reflected on the ECB’s decision not to instruct the 11 players to come home from the IPL when it became clear India’s public health situation was descending into an emergency.

Asked if an intervention was seriously considered, he said: ‘Honestly, no. I thought our position was to advise and keep communicating with the guys. They’re all grown-ups and they signed these contracts.

‘Their welfare and their health is very important to us but we didn’t really feel it was for us to pull them out of that scenario.’