Tim May warns of player burnout

Tim May: 'There needs to be a healthy balance between the commercial needs of the game and the needs of the players' © Getty Images

The Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) has expressed surprise and disappointment with the ICC executive's decision to endorse the Future Tours Programme.

Tim May, FICA's chief executive, told reporters that the move "not only conflicts with volume and scheduling restraints that the ICC adopted as principles in the construction of the new six-year cycle, but appears to fly in the face of concerns expressed previously by the ICC's president and CEO".

He warned of the increasing dangers of player burnout. "More than ever we are seeing the games' top players being forced to retire from the demands of one or the other form of the game as a result of the constant and unrelenting schedule. On top of this, injuries and forced absences to the world's blue-ribbon fast bowlers are becoming more pronounced, and some teams are forced to apply rotational systems to ensure players are not flattened by these congested playing schedules. There needs to be a healthy balance between the commercial needs of the game and the needs of the players".

May's unease stems from the volume of cricket being played, and there are so many series that there are often no periods between them to allow players to rest. Recently, Sri Lanka returned home from a punishing VB Series in Australia and flew straight to Bangladesh for another series there. Next month, Australia finish their Test and ODI campaign in South Africa and within three days of the end of the Johannesburg Test they are due to play an ODI in Bangladesh.

In 2004, Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, warned that "we have come very close to saturation point in terms of the volume of cricket, not only in a commercial sense, but also in respect of the demands it is placing on international cricketers." Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, also stated when he took office that there were issues regarding the amount of cricket being played.

May said that although the ICC had introduced principles around which the FTP would be built, "these have been largely ignored in the final program".

It is clear that very important decisions are being made by ICC committees which have no international cricket playing experience and appear to have no appreciation of the demands and pressures of the game today from a players perspective

He continued: "Instead of easing player workloads, the ICC program commits more matches to be played at the Champions Trophy, more Full Member matches against Associate Countries , a further international [Twenty20] competition, regular Twenty20 matches on a bilateral basis and allows countries to fill in any other downtime that players may enjoy with series loosely tagged as 'icon series'.

"In addition, the program allows member countries to add further fixtures to the agreed program without any limitation. It will result in more cricket for a number of teams over the next six years than we have ever seen before."

"The program appears to continue to demonstrate the ICC's growing lack of respect for players' needs. When coupled with growing concerns from players and their representatives with player terms for the 2006 Champions Trophy and beyond, it will almost certainly produce a prolonged and unsettled industrial landscape.

"This program does not achieve the required healthy balance and will only act as a catalyst for further player retirements, absences and on going dissatisfaction with the international calendar. It is clear that very important decisions are being made by ICC committees which have no international cricket playing experience and appear to have no appreciation of the demands and pressures of the game today from a players perspective."

It is likely that FICA will now consult its members before deciding on its next course of action.