Haroon Lorgat: "The root of this issue is the sums of money involved - it is far more attractive financially to play in the IPL".
Haroon Lorgat, the new ICC chief executive, has raised concerns over the future of international cricket given the growing financial attraction of the Indian Premier League and hinted at the need for a window for the league in the international calendar. His comments were made during a media interaction at Lord's on Thursday, the day Sri Lanka Cricket said it allowed its players to participate in the Indian Premier League next year though it coincided with a tour of England.
SLC had agreed to the series earlier this week as a replacement for Zimbabwe but gave in after their players lobbied hard - involving the country's president - for the right to play in the IPL. "If we don't manage this situation we could be threatening the lifeblood of all member countries," Lorgat said. "International cricket generates revenue that is essential to our survival.
"My folks always told me to be careful because money is the root of all evil. The root of this issue is the sums of money involved - it is far more attractive financially to play in the IPL."
With the status of the Sri Lanka tour still unclear, he added: "It is up to Sri Lanka to sort out the situation. To satisfy players financially by relying on their payments from IPL is not sustainable. Players have short careers and they want immediate rewards but we have to educate them about the development of the game. All of us, players included, must be responsible during this time of enormous opportunity.
"There is no doubt that there are inherent conflicts in the situation. Each country would rather look after its own interests and then you also have to get together to look after the global interests. I would hope that the ICC has people with the integrity to look after the game globally."
He also said that one of the solutions to the problem could be the creation of an IPL window. "I suspect that the prospect of a window for IPL is a subject that will not disappear from the radar."
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