File photo of Geoffrey Boycott.
England legend Geoffrey Boycott came down hard on England players for giving priority to IPL 2021 over national duties and felt England Cricket Board has made a mess of its rotation policy.
With the English board adamant on resting players due to hard quarantine rules in its squad rotation policy, it has allowed the seven English players -- namely Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali among others -- to miss the first Test match against New Zealand from June 2; two days after the IPL final.
As per quarantine rules, a person must serve 14 days in isolation and clear the COVID-19 test before being eligible to play.
Boycott said England players must understand they are playing IPL because they play for the national team.
“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,” he wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.
“I would never stop them from earning that but not by missing games for England to do it.”
He further added that a player should not be frown upon for missing out on national duties over mental health issues and players missing matches over IPL should be reprimanded with wages deduction.
“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.”
He then pointe his gun at England and Wales Cricket Board as well for making a meal of its rotation policy.
“England messed up with a rotation policy in India and must stop treating players in a namby-pamby way,” Boycott wrote.
“It is a barmy way to run English cricket, they should all be ashamed and embarrassed,” he added.
