CR ’N BURNOUT
Harmy goes barmy over Test squeeze
ASHES legend Steve Harmison fears next summer’s Test series against Australia – squeezed into a 46-day window – is a recipe for burnout.
Just 24 hours before Sir Andrew Strauss publishes his High Performance Review, Lord’s confirmed the worst-kept secret in cricket.
The 2023 Ashes will cram five Tests into six and a half weeks and it will be over by the end of July, giving The Hundred a free run in August.
At 46 days, it is the shortest window ever allocated in England for a series which is supposed to be Test cricket’s jewel in the crown.
Harmison, a key member of the England side who regained the urn after 18 years in 2005, said: “Even if the players can handle the physical demands of such a packed schedule, the mental toll could be too much.”
Earlier this summer, England Test skipper Ben Stokes quit oneday international cricket, hinting that the fixture calendar was placing an unsustainable burden on multi- format players.
And new whiteball captain Jos Buttler struggled to contain his dismay at a schedule of 12 limited-overs international fixtures in
24 days against India and South Africa in July.
Harmison (above), now coaching Durham, warned the demands on players’ fitness and mental stamina are in danger of reaching a tipping point.
He said: “Back-to-back Test matches are nothing new, but when they go back to back to back, with little recovery time, that’s a challenge and not everybody will be able to handle it.”
There is widespread discontent that the 2023 summer does not feature a single day of international cricket in August, bar a Twenty20 game against New Zealand at Durham on August 30, to accommodate The Hundred.
But Harmison said: “Franchise cricket is encroaching more and more on the calendar, and the windows to play Test series are becoming smaller, but the players can’t have it both ways.
“If they are happy to accept the big money that comes with playing in Twenty20 franchises or competitions like The Hundred, they must expect the timelines for Test cricket to be more limited.”
In the women’s multiformat Ashes, England will play a five-day Test for the first game, with the opening clash taking place at Trent Bridge.
■ LONDON will stage the next two World Test Championship finals. The Oval will play host next year and Lord’s will stage it in 2025.
New Zealand won the inaugural contest last year against India at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton.