Having unlocked horns with their Indian counterparts over Zimbabwe, the ECB is about to go head-to-head with them again over the inaugural Champions League. The Indian Premier League (IPL), meanwhile, is influencing the timing of talks over the next England central contracts.

The ECB is determined not to agree regulations for the Champions League that it believes are too stringent against counties who have fielded players from the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) and is emboldened by an option to lead an alternative competition, based in Dubai.

A compromise remains possible in which ICL players signed before a certain date are exempt, which may force finalists of the domestic Twenty20 Cup to miss out. However, the Dubai alternative would match the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) version in raising $250 million (about £125 million) over five years from stakeholders.

England central contracts, which run annually from October, are being discussed earlier than usual and, while David Collier, the ECB chief executive, cited the importance of commitments in 2009, the IPL’s courting of players including Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, is creating urgency.

Contracts will include higher bonuses for Test success and are likely to quantify time available to play in the IPL. Players will want to see how dates marry up and, while they recognise the importance of rest before the Ashes series next summer, they may wish for longer than the mooted ten days.

Representatives from the IPL franchises will be at the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals next week. The success of less expensive players, such as Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson, in this year’s IPL has shown that some of the lesser-known domestic names may be attractive options. ICC regulations state that players who reject a central contract are not then available for IPL, but Lalit Modi, the vice-chairman of the BCCI and chairman of the IPL, claimed in Dubai yesterday that grey areas exist — and he is used to scenarios in which money breaks down barriers.

No template for central contracts will be ready before the start of the Test series against South Africa at Lord’s on Thursday, but players hope that new bonuses promised by Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, after the New Zealand series will be on the table for overall victory.

Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has resigned from the ICC over its decision to change the result of the 2006 fourth Test match between England and Pakistan at the Brit Oval. Pakistan were deemed to have forfeited the game after refusing to return to the field over an allegation of ball-tampering from Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove, the umpires. The touring team were cleared of the last offence and yesterday the outcome was changed from an England win to a draw. Holding said: “If you take certain actions, you must be quite happy to suffer the consequences. That game should never, ever be a draw.”

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