Former England captain and batting great Joe Root has called on concerned authorities to take care of players’ well-being by micromanaging the tight travel schedule to avoid burnout. Playing for Yorkshire in the ongoing County Championship, Root says he enjoys playing this tournament and gearing up for the international summer but admits that the board must address this.
“I am fortunate to play a significant part of the season for Yorkshire this year, and looking at the fixture list from a physical well-being, and high-performance angle does cause me concern,” Root said.
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“County cricket is the breeding ground for some of the best talent in the game, and this requires world-leading structures to allow players to reach their full potential. This is a benefit for everybody in the game.”
“Having space to recover, prepare and improve your game during the season is crucial, and the creation of minimum standards to protect travel windows and player welfare is non-negotiable,” he added.
Constant travel troubling players
Meanwhile, following a pre-season survey done by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) on all 18 participating Counties led to the organisation calling out the County schedule as ‘unfit for purpose’.
As per the report, 81 per cent of County cricketers fear physical exertion, while every eight out of 10 cricketers admit remaining concerned about their well-being due to a packed season. Also, 76 per cent have expressed concerns about travel safety in between their fixtures.
“Back-to-back games have gone up considerably, and are only looked at through a commercial lens,” Daryl Mitchell, the PCA chief operating officer, said. “We understand that, but there needs to be a balance.”
“Over 10 per cent of our membership accessed our mental health services last year. It’s difficult to get away from the pressure of being professional, but I think the relentless schedule is a factor,” he continued.
While most players and teams travel via bus, issues occur when players drive themselves to work or home during odd hours.
“There are reports of players who have got off the team bus, driven home and forgotten how they got there, almost on autopilot. Switching off while driving has an element of danger. We want to pre-empt it before anything disastrous happens.”
“Our CEO, Rob [Lynch] is worried about getting the call in the early hours of the morning when someone has driven off the M1. That scares us. Seventy-six per cent of players have concerns about safety when travelling, which is a high number,” he added.
However, responding to the PCA’s report, the English Cricket Board (ECB) said in an official statement, “As the PCA recognises, the men’s domestic schedule is a complex issue. The players have an important voice in discussions around this, and we are committed to working with them and the First Class Counties to discuss the best ways of overcoming some of the challenges.”
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