Warne wants ICC to show some 'common sense' while scheduling matches

Johannesburg, Apr 16 (ANI): Legendary spinner Shane Warne has called upon the International Cricket Council to show some "common sense" regarding the scheduling of international matches during the Indian Premier League.

The leg spinner is captain-coach of the Rajasthan Royals, who won last year's inaugural IPL Twenty20 title in India.

The tournament has been shifted to South Africa for security reasons and the five-week event begins on Saturday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

However, some players from countries such as Australia, England and West Indies are not available for the entire series because of commitments with their national teams.

Australia's five-match ODI series against South Africa ends on Friday in Johannesburg, but the squad will travel to Dubai the following day for a limited-overs series against Pakistan, starting on Wednesday.

"If the ICC had any common sense, they would create a window for the IPL," Warne said on Wednesday in Johannesburg.

"No international cricket should be played in June. The IPL could then be cut to four weeks, which would allow all international players to play in it ... the BCCI (Indian board) and the ICC would then compensate all the unions with some money for allowing their players to play in the IPL," he added. (ANI)