ICC laments senior Indian players decision to skip West Indies tour

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has lamented rumours that star Indian players, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virendar Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and, Zaheer Khan would miss their upcoming series against West Indies, as a means to give themselves a rest before their series against Australia and England.

According to reports, many senior players of the Indian cricket team have requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to grant them permission to skip the West Indies tournament starting on June 4, 2011. This tour includes three Tests and five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 game

The players added that they have been playing two months consecutively. First it was the ICC World Cup 2011, which concluded with the victory of Men in Blue. Currently it is the Indian Premier League (IPL).

There was only a six day gap between the World Cup and the IPL, which has exhausted the players. Hence they need a break from such a hectic schedule because they cannot afford to play another series after the end of IPL Twenty20 league on May 28, 2011.

Although Indian players have submitted their request to the BCCI, the ICC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Haroon Lorgat has said that it would be harmful for Indian cricketers to skip the Windies tour.

Lorgat stated, “I think it affects the brand of cricket. Everybody wants to see a full strength side. Same applies to the IPL and any of the FTP (Future Tour Program) commitments. Because of the volume of cricket, every individual player has to be managed”.

While talking to the media, Lorgat said that the permission can be granted to a couple of players who need rest. However, all the crucial cricketers appealing for a skip from the tour would not be appropriate, he added.

Lorgat said, “One or two stars, asking for a rest is okay. If five or six stars do not want to go to West Indies, then I think, it's not an appropriate fulfilment of what has been committed to the FTP".

The ICC boss Haroon Lorgat said that the ICC Future Tours Programme does not take into account the domestic events of any country and the Indian Premier League is no exception.

He said that it is possible that in future, other boards ask for similar favours if the ICC grants a designated space to the IPL. He said that although the BCCI had not requested such a window, the cricket's governing body was not going to accommodate it if it asked.

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Michael Vaughan fears hectic schedule might make ECB lose coach Andy Flower

Former England captain Michael Vaughan fears that the extremely hectic international schedule may see England losing their coach, Andy Flower.
Vaughan himself retired from cricket after he used to remain away from home for long due to cricketing assignments.
England coach, Andy Flower, has also voiced similar concerns after they had to spend over three months Down Under.
Later many of the players headed to the Subcontinent for the ICC World Cup 2011. However, some of them returned home, as they had injuries and the rest of the team lost their momentum and returned back after their exit from the quarter-final of the tournament.
Flower has done wonders for the current England side. He helped them win two consecutive Ashes series, which included the 2010-11 one in Australia after 24 years. Flower also helped England break their ICC event jinx as he won the ICC Twenty20 championship with the side.
Former English skipper, Vaughan praised Flower for his non-stop efforts for the betterment of the team. He is of the view that Flower should be given rest and time as he could not spend time with his family due to the tight schedule of the England team.
He said that the coach of the team also works as hard as the players do, so he added that he is worried about Flower as he could not get time to rest.
Vaughan also said that it was important for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to keep Andy Flower fresh because he has been doing a great job with the team. He said that ECB could not afford to lose him to a hectic international schedule with the England team.
Commentator Vaughan also talked about Kevin Pietersen, who has been ruled out from the team due to hernia concerns. He said that the board should also give him one chance to return to his prolific form.
He stated, “He’s an amazing talent, but it’s clear that somewhere in the last year something hasn’t been right mentally with him – and he’s got some kind of distraction”.

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