By IANS
Sydney : Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith has denied a report that suggested that the tour to Pakistan was postponed due to the Indian Premier League (IPL), where Australia’s leading cricketers could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars for playing just two or three weeks of the competition.
“There have seen suggestions that somehow the decision by Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board is related to proposed Twenty20 games in India,” Smith said.
“I absolutely reject that suggestion,” he asserted.
“From the first time I had a conversation with Cricket Australia about this matter (in January), I was absolutely convinced that CA had the security, safety and welfare of their players and any members of a touring party uppermost in their minds,” Smith said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also sought to dispel the notion that Australian cricketers’ eagerness to play in the cash-rich IPL from April 18 prompted CA to axe the tour.
CA will not go out of its way to ensure its players are able to play in the IPL. According to The Australian, CA may schedule a short one-day series in place of the Pakistan tour.