Australia captain Ricky Ponting will not play in the lucrative Indian Premier League this year so he can concentrate on the Ashes.

The 34-year-old had been signed up for a short spell with the Kolkata Knight Riders but has now decided to use that time to rest ahead of this summer's tour of England.

“I have made the decision I will not play in the IPL this year,” he said. “My country comes first and there was no way I could give my all for Australia if I used the only two-week break we have to go and play in India.

“Our priorities are to be in the best physical and mental shape we can be for the Australian side and it doesn't get any more important than the games we've got coming up.”

Ponting's decision contrasts with that of the England players, with Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Paul Collingwood all featuring in the IPL.

West Indies batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan could lose their money after becoming dollar millionaires when the Stanford Superstars thrashed England by 10 wickets last November.

The pair, who were today battling to help the Windies avoid defeat against England in the Third Test in Antigua, are said to have reinvested their winnings with Sir Allen Stanford, who has been charged over an alleged $8billion financial fraud.

According to reports, Chanderpaul and Sarwan plus Kieron Pollard, Sylvester Joseph and Dave Mohammed, could lose their winnings.