The Guardian has reported that Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Dawid Malan have withdrawn from the IPL’s UAE-based resumption, set to begin next week, to prioritise their commitments to England. Many of the players from both the England and India camps are set to fly out from Manchester to Abu Dhabi from Saturday onwards to join up with their respective franchises after the fifth Test was cancelled. They will undergo six days of mandatory hotel quarantine before getting involved.
The trio join Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and the injured Jofra Archer on the list of England players to withdraw. It has been reported that Chris Woakes was keen to favour international duty after he was selected for October’s T20 World Cup in slightly surprising fashion having not featured for England in the format since 2015 before June of this year, when he played against Sri Lanka.
In the cases of Malan and Bairstow, it also appears that the upcoming fixtures this Winter, which include the World Cup and an away Ashes tour, have been the central influence on their decision. Malan looks set to feature for England in the Tests against Australia and Bairstow will no doubt play a role throughout what is widely considered an unsustainably packed schedule. All three are turning down a big pay day, all ending contracts worth upwards of £150,000.
