Ponting hints at separate window for IPL

Ricky Ponting has suggested that cricket boards across the world take a leaf out of New Zealand's book and avoid scheduling international fixtures around the time the Indian Premier League (IPL) is on.

With the amount of money on offer, the former Australian captain felt it is difficult for players to ignore Twenty20 competitions, especially the IPL.

"You can understand the players that are opting out of international cricket to go and play IPL," he said.

"New Zealand's a good case study there, they just don't schedule any international cricket when the IPL's on for the simple reason they would have lost most of their players to IPL and been left with next to nothing. I think there's something to be learned there," Ponting was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

Ponting, who played in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008 for the Kolkata Knight Riders, rued that explosive batsman Chris Gayle would be once again missing from the West Indies squad during the Australia-West Indies Test series.

Gayle will be representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

"A West Indies side without Chris Gayle in it will struggle but that's the modern game and it'll probably happen more and more with the amount of money that's being spent in those Twenty20 competitions around the world," he said.

As far as Michael Clarke's decision to play in the IPL was concerned, Ponting said the current Australian skipper must have given ample thought.

"I'm sure he would have weighed up everything before he'd even have considered playing in the IPL.

"It's a personal decision for him, doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks about it. He's just got to work out what's best for him and his body as far as his cricket is concerned over the next few years," Ponting said.

Clarke was signed by Pune Warriors as replacement for Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering after his treatment for a rare germ cell cancer.