About Time!!

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by BBC

New England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke wants players to be given breaks, and to develop greater strength in depth, because of the growing demands of the international cricket schedule.

Not before time - had we has proper rotation, coupled with a specialist one day set up, then England probably would not have been in the situation where most of bowling attack is injured.

Also players get jaded playing in every match, be it one day or tests - if Giles Clarke is serious then better days are on the way for England.

Anyone agree that less cricket would stop the players from being injured as much?, and also getting stale with to much cricket?.

Listen here: BBC SPORT | Cricket

[Gremlin]

Not sure if rotation is right - certainly for test matches the 11 best players available should play in my view. Perhaps fewer tests? I'm sure England play more matches than Australia per year! However, in the ODI set up it is right and proper, as well as distancing the OD squad from the test side.

[Occasional Fan]

I'm more with Gremlin than Ern on this one. For me, the work overload comes from ODIs, not tests, and there is no way you can justify rotating your test team. For ODIs, do what you like - a separate set up is one possible solution, and I have no problem with it in principle, and a rotating team is another idea. That will lead to a sub-optimal team for most matches, but if it preserves the best for the tests, that's a price I'd be willing to pay.

As to going stale - I'm not sure you can go stale by playing too much, can you? You can lose your form, you can even burn out, and both of those will mean you lose your place to someone who is in better nick at the time. "Going stale" suggests to me some kind of mental problem, and, if we have pros who are going stale in that sense, they should be moving over to let others in as well.

[Rachael]

From what I heard on TMS I get the impression that the recent tour format (ODIs as warm ups, then a Test series) is going to become the norm: that should immediately go a long way towards solving the problem.

Players having to get "up" for a ODI series after the serious business was over was always nonsensical... and if the ODIs can once again be regarded as little more than warm-ups for the main part of the tour... and folk can get used to the pitches in pyjama cricket... the pressure of a short build up to a crunch Test should also dissipate.

[Occasional Fan]

Yes and no: I remember being a bit dischuffed when the Aussies were last in England that they had ten ODIs to get our chaps tired before the main event of the summer and to learn how our pitches worked. I know in the end they came second in the test series, but I think my objection to extended warm up phases remains. I have less problem with the sort of three ODI series that England had in Sri Lanka - but seven in India? Not sure about that. Even less sure about giving such extended series to visitors to England before the tests are played.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

As to going stale - I'm not sure you can go stale by playing too much, can you? You can lose your form, you can even burn out, and both of those will mean you lose your place to someone who is in better nick at the time.

1 Stale: tedious from familiarity <a stale routine>

2 Stale: impaired in vigor or effectiveness: Definition of stale - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

"Going stale" suggests to me some kind of mental problem, and, if we have pros who are going stale in that sense, they should be moving over to let others in as well.

IMO anyone who plays to much cricket or any other game for that matter would get into a state of being stale, uninterested caused by familiarity.
When I say "stale" - I mean a loss of form due to becoming stale from to much cricket, that could be cause by being weary tired or just plain apathy, a player who plays to much could be described as [not being fresh], and therefore he would be "stale".

Anyway I agree with what you say over tests - I think anyone who reads my views on overplaying players knows I would like to see an end to test players playing PJ cricket after a hard test series.

I think Rachael is going down the right lines, but IMO not far enough.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Yes and no: I remember being a bit dischuffed when the Aussies were last in England that they had ten ODIs to get our chaps tired before the main event of the summer and to learn how our pitches worked. I know in the end they came second in the test series, but I think my objection to extended warm up phases remains.

In a perfect world I'd have tours as they used to be: many months away from home, lots of genuine 1st class games ahead of the "real" games and genuine 1st class games between Tests. The truly intense cricket (the Tests) would then be slotted into a fairly relaxed programme in which most of the cricket could be taken no more seriously than an end of season club game where no title was at stake. Batsmen and bowlers could settle and get used to conditions... but far, FAR more importantly could play secure in the knowledge that simply being in the squad meant they'd get multiple opportunities through the months.

What MUST end is the pressure of short tours: players enter two 3 day warm ups knowing that they MUST hit the ground running and perform or face question marks about their place in the side... and as Tests are so commonly back to back, those in the first XI are always playing for a place (with no prospect of a run out between games) and those outside the Xi facing the prospect of sitting out two games and then getting thrust straight into a crunch match after weeks without a competitive match.

My solution is the obvious compromise: relegate the ODI cricket to "warm up" play and thereby take the pressure off it - if players treat the ODI series as merely a chance to find some rhythm and timing and get accustomed to the pitches and conditions then the intensity should be no greater than for a run of 1st class games - and then all that's needed is a commitment to genuine 4 day games instead of the currently fashionable 3 day net sessions.

If all this means overseas sides get a chance to familiarise themselves with English conditions when touring England then sobeit: I don't see the big deal - if a "home" side cannot retain an edge over visitors due to a mere 2 months of familiarisation they don't deserve any sympathy!

[greg]

Not only are we getting something that Ern has been calling for for ages but also the series in Sri Lanka is showing that Jimmy Anderson isn't a test bowler but we all know he is a decent one day bowler so his desire for seperate teams is starting too.

I agree that rotation is needed,for example in the middle of the English summer during the one day series when we have an ashes to play later maybe we could rest the likes of KP to make sure they are fresh for the more important battle ahead.I guess you could also play someone like Mustard in one day games to give the test keeper a break as i doubt Mustard will ever be a test player but he is a decent one day man.

It is a shame that the World Cup follows an ashes away series as we could also rest up players from test cricket during the winter so we could have a proper crack at a World Cup.I seem to remember Shaun Pollock being rested for South Africa last winter to keep him ready for the tournament but that would never work for us as we regard the ashes as more important than the World Cup.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by greg

I seem to remember Shaun Pollock being rested for South Africa last winter to keep him ready for the tournament but that would never work for us as we regard the ashes as more important than the World Cup.

Isnt that the way it should be though....

Player rotation in the one day squad is a very good idea especially if we have a "one day" squad of 20 players.

I'm not too keen on rotation for tests though, if players need resting then IMO they should miss the one day stuff and domestic cricket to stay fresh for "proper" cricket.

[darksideofthemoon]

Different Test and ODI squads. After Sri Lanka Hoggard, Harmison and Vaughan will have two and half months off while the others only just over 5 weeks. We have enough players for two good teams.

Tests - Cook, Vaughan, Shah, Pietersen, Bell, Strauss, Prior, Sidebottom, Harmison, Hoggard, Panesar
ODIs - Wright, Mustard, Solanki, Hildreth, Bopara, Collingwood, Flintoff, Swann, Broad, Plunkett, Anderson