Melbourne, Apr.21 : After this year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament concludes, Australia's cricket players may not be seen in the tournament till 2010, because of Cricket Australia's decision to have a split tour of Pakistan in 2009 and 2010.

Cricket Australia (CA) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced today a split tour - the first one taking place in April-May 2009 and the second in 2010.

The two Australian trips to Pakistan will replace this year's tour, which was postponed because of security concerns.

The inaugural IPL, which started on the weekend, clashed with the original Pakistan tour and CA made it clear to contracted players that they had to fulfil their national commitments first.

The IPL is set to stage next year's tournament in April and May, while Australia will play five one dayers and a Twenty20 match from mid-April to early May.

"Our players will be required to go to Pakistan," Fox Sports quoted a CA spokesman as saying when asked about the looming IPL clash.

Australia will then return to Pakistan in August-September 2010 for three Tests.

Next year's visit to Pakistan must fit between Australia's tour of South Africa and the Ashes series in England.

Brown said international cricket's Future Tours Program (FTP) must take preference over other tournaments such as the IPL.

"At this stage, we have a program that goes through to 2011-12, from there the ICC (International Cricket Council) is preparing the Future Tours Program from that point. The bread and butter of cricket is based around the FTP and we need to make sure that's protected," Brown said.

Brown added CA would again work with Australian government officials closer to next year's Pakistan tour to assess the security and safety situation in that country.

Brown added that splitting the tour was the only way to fit the Pakistan commitments into the busy international schedule.

ANI