Atherton’s advice to English cricketers said: It is not right to distance yourself from international cricket for IPL

London. Former captain Michael Atherton has attached great importance to the participation of English players in the Indian Premier League. Atherton says that English cricketers should not ignore international cricket to play in the IPL given England’s poor performance in the Ashes series in Australia. The England team have already lost the five-match test series in Australia after a crushing defeat in the first three matches and the team’s poor performance has been severely criticized by former players.

Atherton wrote in his column in ‘The Times’, “Players should not be left out of international cricket to play in the IPL, nor should they rest or rotate to play elsewhere.” In the context of the lucrative IPL, the former captain gave suggestions to improve the England team’s performance in the red ball format internationally. Atherton said: “The key players who play in many formats are paid seven points, but it is rare that two months out of the year during the Indian Premier League, the ECB loses them.”

“Players should be informed that the ECB will consider their application to play in the IPL, but that their contract is for a full 12 months and that they are given a certificate of no objection to play in the IPL and other franchise competitions, as per if they are playing in the IPL, “he said. It is in the best interest of the England team.

Atherton, who captained England in 54 events between 1993 and 2001, believes Ben Stokes is a viable option to replace current captain Joe Root in the five-day format. Root, who performed brilliantly with the bat last year, has come under fire for being captain in Australia.

Atherton wrote: “From selection to strategy, so many mistakes were made that the captain would have to take personal responsibility. If Root had done well on the field, it would have been a much closer series.” Atherton also said the time has come to show head coach Chris Silverwood the way out. The fourth test will begin in Sydney on January 5.

(With inputs from Bhasha)