Sri Lanka stars to miss tour

England could face under-strength side next summer

Last updated: 13th July 2008  

Sri Lanka stars to miss tour

Jayawardene: Sri Lanka skipper could miss tour

The players were already committed to play in the IPL and they have also assured us that they would give the 2011 tour of England top priority ahead of the IPL.

Duleep Mendis, chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket
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Sri Lanka Cricket have announced that they will allow their players contracted to the Indian Premier League to miss the tour of England.

The decision means the squad could be without several of their star men for the two Tests and three one-day internationals in April and May next year.

The England and Wales Cricket Board had only recently confirmed the schedule after inviting Sri Lanka following the cancellation of Zimbabwe's tour.

However, the dates agreed mean a conflict of interests for some of the squad who are also due to play in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament in India.

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It could mean Sri Lanka arrive in 2009 without the likes of captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and Lasith Malinga.

"We will be taking up the matter with the ECB shortly to find what alternatives we can arrive at without upsetting both parties," Duleep Mendis, the chief executive of SLC, said.

"The players were already committed to play in the IPL and they have also assured us that they would give the 2011 tour of England top priority ahead of the IPL.

"Taking these points into consideration, we couldn't let them down.Therefore it was agreed that the players be allowed to play in the IPL next year."

There appears little way the tour can be pushed back in the calendar with England hosting the World Twenty20 Cup in June before the Ashes series against Australia.