Madness for Players: Nasser Hussain shares his thoughts on ICC's new schedule

On the back of Ben Stokes retiring from the One-Day International at the age of only 31, the cricket fraternity has amped up its efforts to voice their concerns in regards to the hectic schedule for players.

Similarly, speaking about the International Cricket Council's (ICC) new schedule, former England captain Nasser Hussain said that it is bound to eventually break the players.

Hussain believes that the amount of cricket being played these days is eventually going to take a toll on the players, forcing them to retire from certain formats and lowering their average career span due to extensive workload.

Back in the day, Test cricket's downfall was on the cards but ODIs have replaced the longest format as it is currently the least followed format.

"It is disappointing news, to say the least, but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment. It is madness for players. If the ICC just keeps putting on ICC events and individual boards just keep filling the gaps with as much cricket as possible, eventually these cricketers will just say I’m done. Stokes is done with one format aged 31, which can’t be right, really. The schedule needs looking at, it is a bit of a joke at the moment," says Hussain.

Additionally, the T20 franchise has also taken a lot of precedent and many players are opting to play in T20 franchise cricket across the globe compared to the international format.