England’s interim ECB chief has issued a response to Ben Stokes ’ ODI retirement following the brutal cricket schedule. He played his final game in the 50-over format against South Africa last month to focus on leading England 's Test team and playing T20 cricket.
Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have also opted out of The Hundred in order to rest. After announcing his retirement from ODIs, Stokes said: "There is too much cricket rammed in for people to play all three formats now.
"We are not cars, you can't just fill us up and we'll go out there and be ready to be fuelled up again." Following his warning over the schedule demands on top players, interim England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Clare Connor assured him his concerns have "absolutely" been heard.
Connor temporarily stepped up from her role as the ECB's managing director of women's cricket in June when Tom Harrison left his post as chief executive and will likely be in the role until September. While there is no quick solution for the packed cricket schedule, Connor explained she understands the impact it is having on players, especially those who want to play all three formats.
"We have listened closely to what Ben has said," she said. "It's something that we have got to grapple with - that's us with players, other boards, the International Cricket Council and the Professional Cricketers' Association. The players are at the heart of what we need to do to take the game forward. Without them, we don't have a game that has got the wow factor to inspire."
On the other hand, the International Cricket Council has played down concerns over the busy cricket schedule, with chairman Greg Barclay insisting it has not yet reached a "tipping point". Other players have also addressed fears of a demanding schedule, but Allardice believes the future of ODI cricket is not under threat.
"I think at this stage there is some discussion, not specifically about ODIs, but about the mix of formats within the calendar," he said. "Countries have been, in their FTPs, are still scheduling a healthy number of ODIs as well.
“So in the FTP, I don't think you'll see any significant change to the number of ODIs or the proportion of ODIs as being planned." Allardice did admit that the rise of T20 franchise leagues pose some problems, but insisted each member remains fully committed to international cricket.
"Each of them has to manage that balance between domestic competitions, their international schedule and the management of their players," he added. "Each of those boards is in a slightly different situation. So there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to that balancing issue." Barclay, meanwhile, added: "There's a lot of pressure on the calendar, but I'm not sure it's a tipping point."
