The third Test of Ashes 2023 has so far belonged to the players making their first appearance in this series, like Mark Wood and Mitch Marsh. At the same time, there’s certainly been some lethargy and tiredness visible in players from both camps and Ex-England captain Nasser Hussain was blunt about his thoughts regarding the schedule.
Hussain criticised the Ashes schedule by writing in his column for the Daily Mail –
“There was a moment on Friday when I looked down at the action and wondered: why we are treating our international cricketers like pieces of meat?
“Just days after a physically and mentally draining match at Lord’s, and a fortnight after an emotional ringer of a first Ashes Test went into the last couple hours, we were watching them all slugging it out again and the madness of the schedule hit me.
Hussain was particularly aggrieved by Stokes clearly hobbling during his batting innings, struggling with fitness.
He questioned the structure of the tour schedule – “Simple changes would make all the difference. There are nine days between this game and the fourth Test in Manchester, so why only three days between this one and the second. Why not make it four and eight, and give the players an extra 24 hours of rest?”
Hussain implored the ICC, ECB, and other boards to be more careful with their planning and treatment of players –
“Look after your cricketers. Remember, it is only a year since Stokes, one of the biggest assets of the game, retired from one-day internationals citing an impossible workload. He is a remarkable cricketer who even on one leg can smash the ball into the Western Terrace. But that’s not the way it should be.”
Hussain concluded – “But should the pinnacle of Test cricket be like this? This is the series you should be peaking for. One with the best English and Australian cricketers going at each other full tilt.
“Yes, injuries are a part of sport, but these guys shouldn’t be on the biggest stage so impaired. It wouldn’t happen in any other sport.’
