England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) stand-in director Andy Flower has stated that allowing English players who participate in the IPL could hamper their development at the first-class level.
While the former Zimbabwe great acknowledged that playing in front of full houses in pressurised situations does have its benefits, he warned that the players could miss out on exciting opportunities in first-class cricket.
“The ECB position, at the moment, is to allow some of our best players to go to the IPL,” Flower was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“And a lot of people will say things have thankfully moved on from the time I made my decisions around subjects like the IPL.
“(By playing in the IPL) They do miss out on some really excellent growth opportunities in first-class cricket for their counties. There is no doubt about that.
“But the understanding at the moment is that they are growing in other ways, playing under a lot of pressure, in front of big crowds and among some of the best players in the world at the IPL,” Flower added.
Buttler was called up to the Test squad on the basis of his IPL form.
Flower is currently filling in for Andrew Strauss as the ECB director while the former England opener deals with his wife’s illness. During Flower’s time as head coach for England, there was a plenty of friction with players like Kevin Pietersen wanting to participate in the IPL against the ECB’s wishes.
Over the years, the ECB has softened its stance on the matter after initially not permitting England players to participate. This year, 13 players from England turned out for various franchises in the IPL.
Among them was Jos Buttler who has handed an England Test recall after 18 months following some exhilarating performances for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.