According to England Test coach Brendon McCullum, it is “completely naive” to believe that players will reject down lucrative long-term contracts with T20 teams in favor of international engagements.

According to reports this week, England bowler Jofra Archer could be offered a 12-month contract by the Mumbai Indians.

This would give the Indian Premier League club control of his schedule as well as the authority to release him for England.

“In the end, the game is going in a different direction,” McCullum explained.

“We’d be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge sums of money on long-term contracts for a lot less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket,” he told SENZ Radio in his home New Zealand.

“Those days are quickly coming to an end.”

Instead, McCullum, who coached the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL before taking over as England coach last year, stated that boards must be “fluid” when dealing with the issue.

Top central contracts for England players are worth around £1 million per year, but all-rounder Sam Curran will earn £1.85 million for eight weeks of work in this year’s IPL.

The proprietors of the Mumbai Indians also hold clubs in T20 leagues in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, where the Major League Cricket tournament kicks off this summer.

“It’s definitely a shifting landscape, and you’ve just got to be fluid,” McCullum said.

“You’ve got to work with these players, work with these leagues, and try to allow players to have their cake and eat it too, because you want your best players playing.”