• Third Test against Pakistan coincides with IPL auction
• Five England Test players in Dubai could be involved in IPL
If the Indian Premier League is to be a distraction for England's cricketers this year, it is unlikely to prove so during the third Test here. The second day may coincide with the IPL auction in Mumbai but Jimmy Anderson at least has insisted that none of the players involved in the final Test against Pakistan will be paying attention to events in India.
Up to four of the six current England players for sale in the auction are likely to feature in Dubai. Anderson, who is up for sale at a reserve price of $300,000 (£189,000), has promised though that it will not be a topic of conversation on Saturday. "I think we're professional enough not to talk about something like that during a Test match. I don't think it's going to be an issue," he said.
Five of the six England cricketers up for auction have been involved in the Test series against Pakistan: Graeme Swann (reserve price $400,000), Matt Prior ($200,000), Chris Tremlett ($200,000), who is now back in England with a bad back and Ravi Bopara ($100,000), who, having shunned the IPL last year, is hoping to be recalled to the Test team on Friday. Meanwhile he has carried a lot of drinks in this series. Jade Dernbach, currently with the A team and likely to feature in England's ODI squad in the UAE, is also on the list at $100,000. Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan already have contracts.
The IPL starts on 4 April – when England are engaged in a Test match in Colombo – and finishes on 27 May, during the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge. So any English Test cricketers purchased will be unavailable for much of the competition, which makes them a less attractive proposition. It is anticipated that they will have to be back in England by 5 May.
Anderson explained that his decision to go on the list was not straightforward. "I've not played Twenty20 cricket for God knows how long and I want to get back into the England T20 side. It was a hard thing to weigh up but that's what I went for in the end. Having the odd T20 stuck on to the end of a tour isn't going to prepare us for a world tournament. The more exposure guys can get of T20 cricket is obviously better in the long run."
This is a fair point, though probably not the only one under consideration. Indeed if this was Anderson's sole motivation would it not make sense to reduce his reserve price significantly, thereby increasing his chances of being bought and getting that vital practice in the shortest form of the game?
There is no disgrace in seeking to make some money while the body is still intact. That has happened among cricketers since WG Grace onwards. Four of the England Test players on this list are around the 30 mark when it is perfectly natural to think about the future and the opportunities of "cashing in" before retirement looms. There is no real need to be sheepish about that.
As for Bopara, he withdrew from the auction last year apparently to enhance his Test prospects. But the selectors picked Morgan anyway. So his change of tack this year is easy to understand. It is quite possible – and perverse – that he might now resume his Test career on the same weekend that his IPL career is reignited – though they would not dream of dwelling upon this irony in the dressing room on Saturday.