London, May 21 : England opener Andrew Strauss has hit out at suggestions that there is a rift in the England camp over payments being offered to the players by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford for a series of big-money Twenty20 matches with an all-star West Indies side.

He told SunSport: "Any rumours of a divide in the England side are absolute rubbish. We haven't discussed it whatsoever. The role of negotiating these things is down to the Professional Cricketers' Association, and doesn't involve us."

"But we do need to make sure the money benefits the English game as a whole, especially at grass roots level," he added.

The Middlesex ace, 31, has warned however that the extra money may not be enough to see off the lure of the mega-bucks Indian Premier League.

He said: "It is hard to say if the Stanford games will stop any players joining the IPL - people like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen would command big money."

ANI