Mani concern over player burn-out
Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, has expressed his concerns about player burn-out
02-Apr-2006
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He said: "One of the reasons to change from the five-year to a six-year cycle in the Future Tours Programme was because of fears of player burn-outs. It's a matter of concern.
"But we have seen [instances] when respective cricket boards try to squeeze in more cricket to fill up the gap in their programme. It's entirely up to the individual boards to address the issue."
India have recently organised two matches in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan, while they are also considering games in Europe. "In India's case they will be playing 40 ODIs in 2007, much above the prescribed limit of 25-30 ODIs per year," added Mani.
"But the BCCI has said their players want this. The responsibility lies with the individual boards. Ideally the cricketers should be given a rest period of six weeks. For a series to be taken for rankings it must have at least two Tests and three ODIs."
Mani explained that it was the ICC's concerns about too much cricket that led to a limitation being put onto Twenty20 matches. "There are concerns that the players workload would increase with the introduction of Twenty20 internationals. That's the reason we have decided that not more than two such matches can be held in every series.
As well as too much cricket generally, another concern for Mani is the amount of games being played between India and Pakistan. He believes this could take away the iconic status of their rivalry.
"The two boards have agreed upon a four-year cycle for bilateral series, with one country hosting a series every four years. But the plan to hold more matches in off-shore venues could devalue the event in future. I do have reservations, but let's see how it goes. Though it will be terrific for the subcontinent people in the venues where the off-shore matches are being planned."