World Of Sports

Cricket Australia have indicated their players could be obliged to miss next year's Indian Premier League because of a fixture clash with their rescheduled tour of Pakistan.

CA revealed on Monday they would play five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match against Pakistan in April next year - the same time the second edition of the IPL is to be played.

The world champions had been due to tour Pakistan in March and April this year, but pulled out of their visit due to concerns over safety.

Tellingly for the hopes of Australian players wishing to play in next year's IPL, CA operations manager Michael Brown agreed the fixture clash was likely to "inhibit" their prospects of appearing in the lucrative tournament.

He also added that the players, who are centrally contracted to CA, would be expected to meet their obligation to play for their country.

"Playing (in Pakistan) probably inhibits players playing in the IPL (next year)," Brown told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Under their contracts players have to make themselves available to play for Australia and so far we have not had any problems."

The absence of Australia's top names such as Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey - who are competing in India at present - would come as a major blow to organisers of the IPL, particularly in the wake of the reluctance of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to see their players participate in the league.

No England players are in India for the 2008 tournament, as they prepare for the upcoming Test series with New Zealand.

The clash of fixtures is likely to add momentum to debate surrounding the possibility of creating a window for the IPL to be played.

At present the cricket calendar centres around the International Cricket Council's future tours programme (FTP) - a four-year cycle of home-and-away tours between the Test playing nations.

The ICC has scheduled its FTP into the start of 2012 meaning creating a window for the IPL is problematic.

Indeed, such was the difficulty in finding gaps to play rescheduled matches for Australia's return to Pakistan the tour will be split into two separate trips - a three-Test series will be played in August-September 2010.

And while Brown admitted discussion surrounding a fixture window for the IPL was a worthwhile debate, he pledged CA's support for the FTP.

"We often talk about programming being played like chess in three dimensions," he said.

"At this stage we have a program that goes through until 2011-12.

"The difficulty (in creating a window for the IPL) is there would be so many groups that would want to be involved in such programs.