Sri Lanka "will tour England"

Sri Lanka officials say they will tour England next summer despite concerns by the players over potential clashes with the IPL.

Then Asians are due to play two Tests and three one-day internationals in April and May, but the second season of the lucrative Indian Premier League is also schedule to get underway at a similar time.

A number of top Sri Lankan stars were involved in the inaugural tournament and plan to return to the sub-continent to boost their income in 2009.

There was talk of a virtual second-string side touring England with the top players away in India, but that would have serious financial implications for the ECB with ticket sales likely to reflect the standard of opposition in the early part of the season.

While the situation is far from being resolved, Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee chief Arjuna Ranatunga is adamant that there will be a touring Sri Lanka side in England next season.

"We have a memorandum of understanding with England and we must honour that," he said.

A number of England players are also likely to take part in the money-spinning Asian extravaganza next year and the entire early-season international schedule may need revamping to keep all parties happy.