May 1 cut off date for Black Caps' IPL stars New Zealand, March 27, 2008

New Zealand's top players have been given until May 1 to join their teammates for the tour of England.

In something of a compromise between New Zealand Cricket and their stars, the players have been allowed to skip the festival match against the MCC in Arundel, Sussex, on April 27 and the first county match against Kent from April 28-30.

The players involved in the IPL - which runs from April 19 to June 1 - are captain Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor.

The five will be able to slot in four games each in the IPL, which for someone like McCullum will mean a payday of US$200,000.

Cricket New Zealand chief executive Justin Vaughan said the decision had been reached after he had met with individual players, coach John Bracewell, the team as a whole and the Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) to discuss the arrival options for the IPL players.

"We have reached a decision which I believe is fair and is also consistent with the best cricketing outcome," Vaughan said.

"When the itinerary for the England tour was put in place, it was not envisaged that a number of our players would be playing quality cricket in India.

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"For players that are playing a high standard of international cricket, two weeks is a good level of preparation.

"The May 1 deadline date will give the players time to acclimatise to playing in English conditions as they will be available for two first class matches, prior to the test series beginning.

"The England and Wales Cricket Board has also been consulted and is happy with the decision."

Vaughan said the IPL Twenty20 tournament had the ability to retain players in the international game and therefore had New Zealand's full support.

"The global cricket landscape is changing rapidly and we must be flexible enough to change with it, while protecting the integrity of the international game."

He said the five players had agreed to abide by whatever decision NZC reached.

NZCPA executive manager Heath Mills described today's decision as "a good pragmatic" one and had full support from the association.