The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to scrap the May Tests which have been part of their home fixtures since 2000 – by shifting next year’s two-match series against Sri Lanka to June – could have wider implications for the world game.

By playing the Tests later in the season, with a Twenty20 match and five one-dayers beforehand, the ECB has given Kevin Pietersen and others a chance to enjoy longer stints in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

The scheduling move should also avoid the problem many touring sides have experienced of being denied their best players for the May Tests because of IPL commitments or their stars only arriving shortly before a series.

When Sri Lanka last visited England in 201l, five players including leading batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara missed one of the two warm-up matches due to the IPL.

Sri Lanka lost the first Test by an innings and 14 runs in Cardiff after a stunning collapse when they were dismissed for 82 on the final day.

It was a similar story this year, with New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and senior batsman Ross Taylor both arriving late in England because of their IPL stints.

In the first Test at Lord’s, England won by 170 runs after New Zealand collapsed to 68 all out in their second innings.

Touring sides have struggled to adapt to the often wet, cold and overcast conditions confronting them in England in May, with the only tourists to win a Test at that time of year being Pakistan in 2001.

Next year, the IPL will start later than normal due to the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh and so will clash with the Twenty20 and one-day leg of Sri Lanka’s tour of England.

However, if the IPL reverts to its usual schedule and England continue not playing Tests in May, a window for the cash-rich IPL might have been created.

Former England seamer Derek Pringle, now cricket correspondent for Britain’s Daily Telegraph, said the ECB’s decision would be welcomed by overseas players.

“In the past, leading players from countries like Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies, well remunerated by their IPL franchises but not their home board, have considered boycotting the May Tests in England.

“This way affords them a full IPL and a full wallet.”