English players' poll reveals lure of IPL

Half
of England's leading players would consider quitting international
cricket early to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL),
according to a recent survey.

A poll by the Professional
Cricketers' Association said that 50 percent of current England
internationals would consider premature retirement from the highest
form of the game.

The survey comes at a time where Twenty20 is
spawning an extraordinary cash influx into the game with Allen Stanford
prepared to offer a million dollars a man to members of the winning
side in a one-off clash between England and his Caribbean All Stars in
November.

His move followed the creation of the unsanctioned
Indian Cricket League (ICL) and its rival Twenty20 event, the
officially backed Indian Premier League both of which offer players the
chance to earn big money in a relatively short space of time.

More
recently a new 10-million dollar Champions League featuring leading
domestic sides from around the world was also announced.

"The
current imbalance between remuneration for Twenty20 cricket and the
longer forms of the game does present a very real threat to the
existing fabric of the game," a report accompanying the PCA poll said.

"The
financial rewards offered by the Indian leagues will entice players to
retire early from county and international cricket - and senior players
at that. The impact on the strength of our international sides would be
huge.

However, a poll of 334 players in English domestic cricket
revealed strong support for Test cricket with 93 percent saying it
should retain its current status at the summit of world cricket.