Tuesday, April 25 2006 13:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in India later this year could be without top stars from Australia and England due to the Ashes series.

England coach Dunchan Fletcher has already hinted that players like Andrew Flintoff may skip the one-day tournament to prepare for the Ashes, and Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said on Tuesday (Apr 25, 2006) his team should think of doing the same.

"I think we have to look very, very seriously at that lead-in to the Ashes, definitely," Gilchrist said ahead of Australia's second one-dayer against Bangaldesh at Fatullah on Wednesday.

"There is the Champions Trophy, and I believe there are potential other games of one-day cricket that may come up prior to that.

What we want to prioritise as most important

"We have to be very careful about what we want to prioritise as most important."

The eight-nation Champions Trophy will be played across India from October 7 to November 5, ending less than three weeks before the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 23.

Australia are billed to play a one-day series in Abu Dhabi in September prior to the Champions Trophy, which will be followed by the five Ashes Tests and another one-day tournament at home ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean in March-April.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has already complained of excessive workload for players around the world due to the ICC's Test programme.