Joe Root calls for changes in England's congested domestic schedule

Joe Root has demanded a change in the structure of county cricket to ensure that “players are safer” and the output of the games “is of a better quality” 

With The Hundred slated to commence in August, the T20 blast and County Championship have been slotted in the limited days available towards the start and end of the cricketing season, leading to notable strain to the domestic players. 

As per a Professional Cricketers’ Association survey, 81% of the men’s players are worried about the physical strain from the jam packed schedule and the risk of injuries, while 62% are concerned about the schedule’s impact on their mental health. Nearly 66% of PCA members feel there’s way too much domestic cricket. 

Unsurprisingly PCA deemed the domestic schedule “unfit for the purpose” and a “disaster” in the making. Former England skipper Root reiterated and pointed out what exactly requires a change. 

I am extremely passionate about county cricket and it is apparent the schedule needs to change for a host of reasons to see long-lasting benefits for English cricket," Root said. "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.

"We're trying to find a way of getting the standard of first class cricket as close to the international game as we can.

"There's a large number of players that don't think the schedule is conducive to high level performance as it stands right now, we need to find a way of making that gap smaller and the product better," said Root.

"There's so much cricket and there's so much to cover. It's not always going to be perfect, we know that, but if there's any way of finding a middle ground and meeting somewhere closer to the middle where the players are safer and the output of the games is of a higher quality, then English cricket will be winning.

"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.

The PCA’s chief operating officer, Daryl Mitchell, called for a “balance” in scheduling to safeguard player welfare. 

“Our chief executive, 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. 76% of players have concerns about safety when travelling. I don't think it needs to be a massive reduction [in number of games] but we need to create some space," Mitchell said.