English players should not miss int'l duty to play in IPL: Atherton

London: The English cricketers should not miss international duty at the expense of playing in the IPL, former England captain Michael Atherton has said in the wake of the team's disastrous Ashes campaign in Australia. England have already conceded the five-match series Down Under against their traditional rivals after suffering heavy defeats in the first three Tests, the poor show attracting widespread criticism from former players.

"Players should not miss international duty to play in the IPL, nor be rested and rotated to allow them to play elsewhere. The carry-on during the winter, and at the start of the English summer, should not happen again," Atherton wrote in his column for 'The Times'.

With regards to the glitzy IPL, the former captain also had other suggestions to help improve England's performance in the international arena's red-ball format.

"The leading multi-format players are paid seven-figure sums, but, incredibly, the ECB washes its hands of them for two months of the year during the Indian Premier League. The players should be told that, while the ECB will be accommodating of the request to play in the IPL, a 12-month contract is exactly that, and the granting of a no-objection certificate to play in the IPL and other franchised competitions is contingent on it being in the best interests of the England team," Atherton said.

Atherton, who has captained England in 54 Tests from 1993 to 2001, felt Ben Stokes is a "viable alternative" to replace Joe Root as skipper for the five-day format. The fourth Test begins in Sydney on January 5.