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Ponting says players risk burnout, schedule needs addressing
Sydney, June 05: It`s tough at the top in cricket, says Australia`s limited-overs skipper Ricky Ponting, who wants national administrators to cut back on the international match schedule to avoid player burnout.
Sydney, June 05: It's tough at the top in cricket, says Australia's limited-overs skipper Ricky Ponting, who wants national administrators to cut back on the international match schedule to avoid player burnout.
Ponting flew back into Sydney today with the Australian limited-overs squad from a successful tour of the West Indies.
The Australian Test lineup, led by Stephen Waugh, lost only the last Test in a 3-1 series win and then pointing led the one-day lineup to a 4-0 lead to secure the limited-overs series before losing the last three matches, ending a record 21-match winning sequence.
The regulars in both the Test and limited-overs squads, including Ponting, prolific opener Matt Hayden and bowlers like Brett Lee, have had three weeks off since last September while playing three Test series, four limited-overs series and winning the World Cup. "All the players want to play as much cricket for Australia as they can but at the same time don't want to be worn-out, fatigued and have their careers cut a little bit shorter than they might have been," Ponting said.
"That's the biggest fear we've got in the team and we've mentioned that to various people and hopefully people start listening to us pretty soon," said the skipper. The Australian Cricket Board last week avoided a player mutiny by scrapping plans to contest a limited-overs tournament in morocco in august and September.
Players had expressed concerns over the schedule and safety issues, prompting the ACB withdrew from the event.
The Aussie cricketers now get a break ahead of a two-Test series and three limited-overs internationals against Bangladesh in July and August. Australia also host Zimbabwe and India in Test series over the southern summer. Bureau Report
The Australian Test lineup, led by Stephen Waugh, lost only the last Test in a 3-1 series win and then pointing led the one-day lineup to a 4-0 lead to secure the limited-overs series before losing the last three matches, ending a record 21-match winning sequence.
The regulars in both the Test and limited-overs squads, including Ponting, prolific opener Matt Hayden and bowlers like Brett Lee, have had three weeks off since last September while playing three Test series, four limited-overs series and winning the World Cup. "All the players want to play as much cricket for Australia as they can but at the same time don't want to be worn-out, fatigued and have their careers cut a little bit shorter than they might have been," Ponting said.
"That's the biggest fear we've got in the team and we've mentioned that to various people and hopefully people start listening to us pretty soon," said the skipper. The Australian Cricket Board last week avoided a player mutiny by scrapping plans to contest a limited-overs tournament in morocco in august and September.
Players had expressed concerns over the schedule and safety issues, prompting the ACB withdrew from the event.
The Aussie cricketers now get a break ahead of a two-Test series and three limited-overs internationals against Bangladesh in July and August. Australia also host Zimbabwe and India in Test series over the southern summer. Bureau Report