Ben Stokes criticises ICC for poor scheduling of international games amid rise in franchise cricket

Ben Stokes criticises ICC for poor scheduling of international games amid rise in franchise cricket: England?s test skipper Ben Stokes has taken a shot at the International Cricket Council (ICC) for mindless scheduling of international fixtures between teams. Lately, this concern has been on a rise as several cricketers and even experts have begun to raise their voices through interviews and other mediums.

Citing the example of the England vs Australia ODI series, which was scheduled immediately after the completion of the ICC Men?s T20 World Cup 2022, Stokes reckon there was no need for the 50-over series.

?The scheduling doesn't get enough attention that it should. A great example is England's one-day series against Australia after the T20 World Cup. That was shoving three games in there. It made sense to someone to schedule a series which meant nothing,? said Ben Stokes during a conversation with former England cricketer Ian Botham on BBC.

The world cup winning cricketer further said that international cricket must be of the highest standards and picking multiple squads and resting main players due to tense scheduling won?t help it make stand out.

"Some people say 'you are playing for England, that should be enough'. But there is a lot more to factor in. You want international cricket to be the highest standard. But we have seen a lot of different squads being picked and players being rested, and that's not the way international cricket should go."

Test is losing attention of fans: Ben Stokes

England recently dominated Pakistan in the three-match Test series with a complete clean sweep. The Englishmen showed good intent and a great display of mindful aggressive cricket, the philosophy which is widely known as ?Bazball?, and wrote their names in history books by becoming the first team to do a 3-0 sweep against Pakistan in Pakistan.

Sharing his views on the traditional format of cricket, Stokes said: "Test cricket has been spoken about in a way I don't like. It is losing the attention of the fans with all the new formats and franchise competitions. We understand there are so many opportunities for players away from Test cricket. But for me it is so important for the game. I love playing Test cricket and felt we could do something different.

"Taking the result away from the mindset is a great starting point. Putting focus on making every day entertaining. Not allowing people to know what is going to happen. If people turn up excited about what they are going to watch you've already won before a ball has been bowled."

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