Lawson refuses to take IPL seriously

Dhaka, Jun 8 (UNI) Despite all the glamour and hype surrounding the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL), Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is reluctant to take the BCCI-backed event too seriously.

''The jury is still out. The IPL is a BCCI tournament and not an ICC one. So, (though international players participated in the event) IPL was not an international event as such,'' Lawson told mediapersons here ahead of the opening clash of the Kitply Cup against hosts Bangladesh.

''The rules were made by the BCCI with conditions like each team could play only four international players at a time along with domestic players,'' he added. ''It is a restricted domestic competition. The game looked younger since the rules were like that.'' The former Australian fast bowler also dismissed sugestions that Twenty20 was essentially a youngsters' game.

''If you look back at the Twenty20 World Cup, you will agree that many senior players have performed well in that tournament,'' he stated. ''I think if you are a good cricketer and skilful, you will adapt to any format of the game.'' UNI XC AB BST1136