When the money-laden Indian Premier League explodes into action this week, Sachin Tendulkar knows which England cricketer he would have wanted in his Mumbai Indians squad. Not Kevin Pietersen or Andrew Flintoff, but Alistair Brown, the most destructive strokemaker the county game has seen in recent times.

Tendulkar was on the receiving end when Brown scored his only one-day international century for England against India at Old Trafford in 1996. He also knows that Brown has made the highest score in one-day cricket - 268 off 160 balls for Surrey against Glamorgan in 2002 - amid a host of similarly spectacular displays.

What is more, Brown appeared to be an easy target. He was written off by England seven years ago after only 16 one-day internationals, he is approaching the end of his career at the age of 38 and the three-year contract on offer would dwarf anything he could expect to earn in county cricket.

Only Brown turned him down, thereby disproving the popular theory that all cricketers are mercenaries who are desperate to clamber aboard the Indian gravy train.

So why did Brown, who spends his winters looking after his two young sons while his wife goes to work - doing the school runs and spending several hours in the gym three or four times a week - do it? “I got a call from Harbhajan Singh [Tendulkar's India team-mate, who had played for Surrey] a week before we were due back training in March,” he said. “It was a bit of surprise to start with, but I thought about it for 24 hours and then gave him a polite 'no'.

“The main reason was that I've been at the Oval for 20 years and they have been the best 20 years of my life. The club have been incredibly good to me and, having signed a one-year contract, I didn't feel it was quite right to turn round and say: 'Let's tear that up and do something different. I want to go out to India because there's a lot of money up for grabs.'

“Harbhajan came back and said he wanted me to think again because Sachin wanted me to go out and play and it would be a big contract on a three-and-a-half-year deal. I appreciated that there was probably more opportunity this year than maybe next, when there could be windows opening up for the England players, so I did think about it again over the weekend.

“They were talking telephone numbers - I won't go into details, but it was going to be a vast increase on what I'm earning here and I wouldn't say I'm earning badly - and the opportunity of playing with the likes of Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya and Harbhajan turned your head. Tendulkar is the best player I've seen and Jayasuriya probably influenced my England call-up with his pinch-hitting.

“It would have been fun but, ultimately, I had signed a contract with the club. At my age, I suppose they could have done something but I didn't go and ask them. I don't feel that last season brought out the best in my game and I'm really hungry to silence the doubters by scoring heavily and setting the record straight.

“I was flattered to be asked to go to India and if I'd been in a different situation things would have been different, but they weren't and I'm certain I made the right decision. Life's not all down to money.”

Big hitters

As a senior cricketer, Alistair Brown, at a county such as Surrey, who are reputed to be among the best payers, probably earns between £70,000 and £80,000.

Apart from the overseas players, Mark Ramprakash, of Surrey, is among the top earners on more than £100,000, but he makes much more than that from Strictly Come Dancing and endorsements.

Dimitri Mascarenhas, the only England player in the IPL, will get $100,000 (about £50,000) - and he will only be there for a fortnight.

Explore Cricket

• Counties