Ranatunga asks players to give England tour

Arjuna Ranatunga has written a letter to the Sri Lankan players asking them to give priority to the tour of England next year over the IPL. The letter is believed to have been written in a personal capacity and does not reflect the position of the interim committee - and endorsed by Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapakse - that SL's players will be allowed to play in IPL, reports Cricinfo.

Sri Lanka replaced Zimbabwe for a tour of England in April-May next year after the England board decided to suspend bilateral ties with Zimbabwe and cancel their visit. However the two boards are yet to work out a schedule for the tour that would allow the Sri Lankans to participate in the IPL.