Geoffrey Boycott slams England players for prioritizing IPL over national duty

Writing in his column for The Daily Telegraph, former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott slammed the board and its players for prioritizing the Indian Premier League (IPL) over playing for the country.

Boycott's heavy criticism comes hot on the heels of England head coach Chris Silverwood's comments that several players might end up missing national duty because of the IPL.

“Players seem to forget the IPL would not come calling for them if they had not performed for England first. So, they owe a debt of gratitude and loyalty to put England first. I would never stop them from earning that but not by missing games for England to do it,” Boycott said.

England recently announced that the players who are playing in the IPL this season will be allowed to miss the start of the Test series against New Zealand, if their teams qualify for the playoffs.

13 English cricketers are taking part in the IPL this season – Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Liam Livingstone, Sam Billings and Chris Jordan.

The Test series against New Zealand begins on 2nd June, merely two days after the IPL final. Of the 13 players who are taking part in IPL 2021, seven are regulars in the Test team and their absence could cost the national team dearly.

"If players want to go home for a break from England duty, dock their money" - Geoffrey Boycott

Jonny Bairstow will be eager to prove a point in the T20I series

Boycott did not hold back from slamming the ECB for messing up its rotation policy in India.

The former cricketer also opined that players hardly choose to skip the IPL because of mental health problems, like they often do when they’re on national duty. According to him, the England board has been ‘too soft’ on the players and haven’t penalized them for missing national duty.

“But I bet you will not see any of our players leaving the IPL because they miss their wife, girlfriend or kids. If players want to go home for a break from England duty, dock their money. Better still don’t select them unless they can agree to be available for a whole series. It is a barmy way to run English cricket, they should all be ashamed and embarrassed,” Boycott said.

England have named a full strength squad for the 5-match T20I series against India, with the first match set to begin on March 12th in Ahmedabad. With the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes among others failing to impress in the Test matches gone by, the T20I series provides the perfect opportunity for them to put in a good performance.