DUBAI, July 23: English counties were ordered on Tuesday to release players for international duty to ensure those matches remain the “lifeblood” of cricket.

The existing guidelines were stressed following talks between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about protecting the integrity of matches played by less prestigious nations.

The ICC executive board said members “compromise or fail to protect this belief at their peril.”

Next month’s qualifying event for the Twenty20 World Cup has six ICC associate countries — Ireland, Scotland, Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and Holland — competing for three places in the main event next June in England.

“The full commitment of the ECB to work with counties to support the ICC Board’s mandatory release policy for Associate players is great news and very welcome,” ICC President David Morgan said on Tuesday.

“It will help to ensure that when the top associates have One-day Internationals against full members or compete in next month’s ICC World Twenty20 qualifier in Belfast they have their top players available.”

Morgan added that it would also ensure the top players are at next year’s tournament.

Cricketers are also increasingly enticed by lucrative Twenty20 club competitions, with some Sri Lanka players reportedly prepared to opt out of next year’s tour of England to play in the Indian Premier League.

“The ECB recognises that nation versus nation is the lifeblood of cricket and its integrity must be protected at all costs,” ECB chairman Giles Clarke stated.

“One way of protecting that integrity is by ensuring that the top associate players currently playing county cricket are available for their countries in all their mandatory commitments with full members and in prestigious events.”—AP