PAUL COLLINGWOOD hopes an agreement can be reached over the participation of county sides in this year’s Champions League after expressing his disappointment at the limited Twenty20 opportunities available to English players.
Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi announced the dates for this year’s lucrative club tournament last week but was quickly drawn into a row with the England and Wales Cricket Board as the itinerary clashed with the end of the domestic season, as well as England’s one-day series with Pakistan. Modi responded by calling for the ECB to make a “minor adjustment” to their season, but neither side appear willing to budge. If that impasse continues it would seem to rule county sides out of a competition that boasts a winners’ cheque of around $2.5million (£1.6m).
Collingwood said: “It would be ideal to get as many English players in the IPL and the Champions League as possible, especially for me as the Twenty20 captain. But the way our schedules are because we’re the only northern hemisphere team, we are going to miss parts of the IPL here and there. That is a shame because ideally we’d be there all of the time.
“We do seem to be a team that, I wouldn’t say get picked on, but we are missing out on a fair bit.
“It is disappointing not to be able to play in the Champions League. Not just from a personal point of view but for the counties. They won’t get the chance to play in it because of the domestic season.
“There’s obviously only a small window they could have chosen to play the Champions League and unfortunately we’re going to miss out.
“Hopefully the hierarchy and the authorities get their heads together and turn it around somehow if they can. But as players we only have one priority: we play for England.”
With Andrew Strauss controversially rested for that trip, Alastair Cook will take over the captaincy reigns when the side touch down in Dhaka. While Collingwood will be on hand to give any help he requires, he is convinced Cook must lead the side in his own style.
He said: “I haven’t given him any (advice) as yet. I’ve obviously got the first week here as captain myself but Cooky will do it his own way.
“That’s the important thing when you do the captaincy, that you do it yourself and have your own ideas. Obviously he’s got a lot of strong characters around him and a lot of experienced players but he’s an experienced England cricketer himself.”
