Chris Silverwood insists Test cricket is England’s priority despite the much‑debated rotation policy and the suggestion players could miss the first Test against New Zealand this summer to play in the Indian Premier League. Results-wise there should be few quibbles, with England having won three of their four Tests in 2021. Though hammered by 317 runs in Chennai this week, Joe Root’s side sit 1-1 in their series with India and head into the day-night third Test confident the pink ball will swing for them. However, the departure of Moeen Ali – the messy handling of which led to a public apology from Silverwood – means he is the seventh all-format England player missing Test cricket this winter, while Eoin Morgan’s white-ball side will be at full strength for the Twenty20 series that follows. A good number will also appear in the IPL which starts in May, and it transpires they may be allowed to miss the first Test against New Zealand on 2 June if their franchise reaches the concurrent knockout stages and they are in the XI. All this has left supporters wondering why the longest format makes way. Silverwood, England’s head coach, said: “I can understand [that frustration] but I’m at peace with where we are at to be honest. [Test cricket] is something Joe Root and I are very passionate about. We prioritise Tests and T20 equally. “We have a great opportunity to have a dry run, with the T20 World Cup being in India [this year]. Equally we have to respect that to get people to the World Cup and the Ashes fresh and on top form, we have to look after them. It is the world we are living in. But I can guarantee that we are not prioritising anything above Test cricket.” The IPL auction takes place in Chennai on Thursday, with Moeen one of 16 English cricketers involved. Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran – similarly handed breaks by England this winter – were retained by their teams, while Mark Wood withdrew from the process on Wednesday due to time spent on the road. Ed Smith, the national selector, has said the IPL is separate to England’s winter rotation policy and these players would have been granted time at home during the three-month stint in Sri Lanka and India regardless, given the restrictive nature of the bubble and time away from families. Deference to the IPL at the start of the home Test summer appears a step further, however. While New Zealand’s visit was a late addition to the schedule, England’s Test team could, for example, find themselves without Buttler, Stokes and Archer if their Rajasthan Royals side get out of the group stage. Silverwood said: “I understand that [this] is how the world works. I understand it, I embrace it and I’ll do the best to make it work. I think it is very difficult to say: ‘No you can’t play in the IPL’; you certainly can’t say no to one player and yes to another. We will reap the rewards when they come back and play T20 for us, having improved their skills and with [more] knowledge of other players.” News of Moeen’s departure for his pre-agreed break, following eight wickets during his first Test in 18 months, was handled clumsily when, jaded after a defeat, Root fielded questions that should have been for Silverwood or Smith. Root said Moeen had “chosen” to fly home, placing the onus on the individual in a way that differed from England’s explanations for others. Silverwood said: “We’re sorry the impression we gave that Moeen is being treated differently to other people – he isn’t. I can guarantee you that. The decision for him to go home was ours as it was with Buttler, Bairstow and Wood [etc]. We’re happy to own that decision. “It was a unique situation with Moeen, he’d spent so long in isolation, having Covid out in Sri Lanka, and with how he just broke back into the team. The question was posed to him [about staying on] but ultimately we felt it was the right decision for him to go home.” Asked if the team could overcome Moeen’s absence for the next two Tests, Silverwood replied: “It is 1-1. We’ve lost this Test but we’ve won six away before this on the subcontinent so have a little bit of perspective. “The pink ball during practice has swung more and scuffed up less, so seems a little bit durable than the red version. I’m looking forward to seeing one or two more people with it in their hands in Ahmedabad.”