Ben Stokes not happy with hectic international schedule
England’s Test skipper Ben Stokes has slammed the hectic international schedule. With so many T20 Leagues coming up, cricketers featuring in all formats are left with very little or no rest in between. Noting the same, the all-rounder pointed out how senseless the Australia vs England ODI series was that took place right after the T20 World Cup down under.
England lost the series 3-0 with even the fans not turning up to watch the marquee teams lock horns. Stokes reckoned that the scheduling of international cricket has to change given the amount of cricket that is being played currently.
“The scheduling doesn’t get enough attention that it should. A great example is England’s one-day series against Australia after the T20 World Cup. That was shoving three games in there. It made sense to someone to schedule a series which meant nothing.Some people say ‘you are playing for England, that should be enough”.
“But there is a lot more to factor in. You want international cricket to be the highest standard. But we have seen a lot of different squads being picked and players being rested, and that’s not the way international cricket should go,” Stokes said while speaking to Ian Botham on BBC.
I love playing Test cricket: Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes recently led England to a historic 3-0 cleansweep on Pakistan tour playing some extremely aggressive cricket named ‘BazBall’. However, the all-rounder is not happy with the fact the format is not being talked up highly thanks to T20 and T10 leagues that have emerged.
“Test cricket has been spoken about in a way I don’t like. It is losing the attention of the fans with all the new formats and franchise competitions. We understand there are so many opportunities for players away from Test cricket. But for me it is so important for the game. I love playing Test cricket and felt we could do something different.Taking the result away from the mindset is a great starting point. Putting focus on making every day entertaining. Not allowing people to know what is going to happen. If people turn up excited about what they are going to watch you’ve already won before a ball has been bowled,” the England Test skipper added.
