Tendulkar not to play for Middlesex

New Delhi:

India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar will not be taking part in the T20 campaign of Middlesex this year.

According to a BBC report, Sachin wants to concentrate on his international career.

The English county had been in negotiations with the batting legend to play alongside former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

But Middlesex chief executive Vinny Codrington said: "Sachin was very open and honest with us and went to lengths to express how much consideration he had given to the opportunity."

"Sachin wished to concentrate on prolonging his international career. He believed the additional workload of playing for Middlesex would place too much pressure on his busy schedule," Codrington said.

Earlier, Middlesex skipper Shaun Udal had accused BCCI of trying to scupper their plan to sign Sachin for the domestic Twenty20 tournament. He had said their effort to make Tendulkar play for their side later this year might end in smoke as a tournament was scheduled in the sub-continent in June, date of which clashes with the English domestic T20 competition.

Tendulkar last played in the English county in 1992 for Yorkshire when he was just 19-year-old and scored more than 1,000 runs with an average of 46.52.