A pre-season survey of all 18 counties led the PCA to brand the current fixture schedule “not fit for purpose” due to serious issues, particularly with matchday travel, which led to calls for an urgent review. For the ECB and county chiefs to “preempt disaster”.
More than eight in ten county cricketers admitted they were worried about their well-being due to the packed season, with a whopping 76% revealing safety concerns about traveling to and from the stadium during the season, particularly during the Vitality Blast. When the team finishes late and plays the next day. There will be 55 consecutive T20s this year, up from 34 last year.
Perhaps the most stark example is Gloucestershire, who played a T20 against Glamorgan in Cardiff on June 20 before returning to Bristol to host Somerset the very next day. They then begin a four-day match against Yorkshire in Scarborough after a day’s rest on June 23.
Teams typically travel by bus, but problems arise when players drive home in the early morning hours. The PCA said it had to intervene last season when it discovered a county was using minibuses driven by players. The county has reportedly stopped this practice.
“There has been a significant increase in back-to-back games and you can only see that from a commercial perspective,” said Daryl Mitchell, PCA chief operating officer. “We understand that, but there needs to be a balance.
“Over 10% of our members used mental health services last year. It’s hard to escape the pressure of professionals, but I think the relentless schedule is a factor.
“There are reports of players being almost on autopilot, getting off the team bus, driving home and forgetting how they got there. Turning off while driving has its risks. We want to proactively address this before a disaster occurs. .
“Our CEO, Rob (Lynch), is worried that we’ll get a phone call in the early morning when someone has driven the M1. That terrifies us. 76% of players are worried about their safety when traveling. That’s a high number. “
In addition to calling for at least three days’ rest between four-day matches and at least one day’s rest between T20s, 66% of those surveyed said their current schedule was not conducive to achieving high performance. I think.
Those sentiments were echoed by Root, who believed the changes would bring “long-term benefits for English cricket”. Despite being shielded from the schedule as a centrally contracted England cricketer, Root is playing five matches for Yorkshire in the County Championship.
“I am fortunate to have been able to play a significant part of the season for Yorkshire this year and looking at the fixture list is concerning in terms of physicality, wellbeing and high performance,” Root said.
“County cricket is a breeding ground for the best talent in the game, and that requires world-class structures to enable players to reach their full potential, which benefits everyone involved in the game.
“It is important that we have space to recover, prepare and improve our game during the season and creating minimum standards to protect travel periods and player welfare is non-negotiable.”
The PCA’s findings and call for action come at a pivotal time for English cricket as the County Partnership Agreement – the contract binding the ECB, PCA and the county – is up for renewal. This week will also see the county and MCC agree to the ECB’s proposals for private investment in the Hundred, which could raise around £500 million for the domestic game. This all leads into the next broadcast cycle, which begins in 2025.
Hundred remains the elephant in the room when it comes to facility congestion, especially for Blast. This year’s eight-team competition will only be played during the first three weeks of July and August, with no Blast matches and only three days of Championship cricket scheduled during this period.
Recognizing the value of Hundred and the importance of the club’s matchday revenue at a time of uncertainty for the county’s finances, Mitchell called on chief executives and stakeholders to collaborate more in decision-making. A more altruistic approach is needed to ensure players and, by extension, better protect the game.
“Constitutionally the power lies with the County Chairman, but we need a really collaborative approach on our part. Our focus is player safety, physical or mental wellbeing. We need collaboration between the ECB, PCA and the County to come up with a solution.
“We’ve seen through high-performance reviews that when you look at the structure of one particular lens without the other, it becomes very tricky to get that line across. You have to combine them.
“We can very easily come up with a structure that the players think is ideal, but the players also need to understand the commercial side of the game – our passionate members in this country, the lifeblood of the county, all the stakeholders – we need to take this approach. Some of the challenges we are experiencing require collaborative solutions.
In a statement released in response to the PCA’s investigation, the ECB said: “As the PCA recognizes, men’s domestic scheduling is a complex issue. Players have an important voice in discussions on this issue and we are committed to working with them. We are visiting First Class County to discuss the best way to overcome some of the challenges.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is the Editor-in-Chief of ESPNcricinfo.
