Former England captain, Nasser Hussain, has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reconsider the current cricketing schedule as it is causing the players to break down.
Hussain believes that the amount of cricket being played across the world these days has taken its toll on the players and as a result, they are opting to retire from certain formats. Hussain’s comments came after current England Test captain, Ben Stokes, announced his retirement from the 50-over format, much to the surprise of the cricketing fraternity.
Hussain believes that the current schedule will also result in the demise of ODI cricket as it is the least followed format currently. Hussain stated that the new generation of cricket fans adore T20 cricket while every cricket fan has a special place in their heart for Test cricket, which leaves the ODI format vulnerable.
It is disappointing news, to say the least, but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment. It is madness for players. If the ICC just keeps putting on ICC events and individual boards just keep filling the gaps with as much cricket as possible, eventually these cricketers will just say I’m done. Stokes is done with one format aged 31, which can’t be right, really. The schedule needs looking at, it is a bit of a joke at the moment.
Former middle-order batter further added that more players will decide to pull out of international cricket due to the emergence of franchise T20 leagues. He said that the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) extended 2 and a half month window is also going to take a toll on the players which does not bode well for cricket.