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Stokes, Buttler, Woakes to miss Ireland ODIs for extended IPL stay

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Stokes, Buttler and Woakes will be required to return from the IPL on May 14 in time for a training camp in Spain © Cricbuzz

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday (February 21) have confirmed that Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes can miss the two match One-Day International (ODI) series against Ireland beginning on May 6 in order to extend their stay in the IPL.

England's limited overs captain Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Sam Billings will all be required to be back in the country on May 1 to prepare for the two games in Bristol and at Lord's. Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills, neither of whom are part of the ODI squad at present, will be allowed to remain with their IPL franchises for the whole tournament.

All three of those allowed to miss the Ireland series are certain of being in England's Champions Trophy squad. Their absence allows England to use the two matches to give those on the fringes of the side such as Jonny Bairstow and Reece Topley a chance to press their claims.

Stokes, Buttler and Woakes will be required to return from the IPL on May 14 in time for a training camp in Spain and a three-match ODI series against South Africa which begins at Headingley on May 24, both of which will be vital preparation for the Champions Trophy.

Recalling them for the training camp does mean the England players will not be available for the knockout stages of the IPL should their teams make it that far. That part of the competition begins on May 16 with the final taking place on May 21 in Hyderabad.

This is not the first time players have been allowed to miss England duty. Morgan was allowed to miss the ODI against Ireland in 2015 in order to play the IPL and, with more England players being picked up by IPL franchises, it is likely to be a decision that England's Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss will increasingly have to make.

No doubt the quality of the opposition has been taken into account. Leaving out Stokes and Buttler, two of England's best ever one-day players, does suggest a certain amount of disrespect for Ireland, an Associate team who nonetheless will prove competitive opponents for England. It is unlikely the same decision would have been made had the opposition been Australia.

It also raised a number of questions, none more so than whether the primacy of playing for England as a player's number one priority may be challenged. It may be two games against Ireland this year, but in the future will players be allowed to miss a Test match to play in the IPL? Strauss only has to look at the experience of the West Indies to know what can happen when T20 tournaments start to take precedence over international cricket.

It is a difficult balancing act for England's Director of Cricket. The players want the opportunity to play in the IPL, for financial as well as cricketing reasons, and the longer they are available for the more money and experience they gain and the more attractive they become to franchises. But Strauss also has to ensure the players know that England duty must come first. This decision may well have opened a can of worms.

© Cricbuzz

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