(Reuters) – England are likely to continue rotating players, including in the Ashes against Australia series starting at the end of the year, to manage their workload, coach Chris Silverwood said yesterday.
England stuck to their policy during their 3-1 series defeat by India, choosing to rest multi-format players at different stages of their journey to help them better cope with the challenges of living in environments strict bio-security.
Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes were among those who missed parts of the series against Sri Lanka and India.
“I think it worked,” Silverwood told reporters. “When they’re out on the park you want them to focus on cricket, you want them to be happy. Sometimes that means seeing your family; families want to see the fathers and husbands.
“I don’t think it’s acceptable to push someone until they break and then try to lift them. A whole load of cricket is coming up this summer, then we disappear very quickly overseas once our summer is over.
“We have to be proactive in looking after them, so it (Ashes) is definitely something we may have to look at.”
India yesterday said that the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin in Chennai on April 9, with the final set set for May 30, and Silverwood said some players may miss a test match against New Zealand.
English players appearing in the early stages of the Twenty20 tournament could not be available to face New Zealand in the series opener at Lord’s starting on June 2.
“We haven’t looked at selection for the test yet but, for me, playing for your country is a big thing,” said Silverwood. “It’s hard to change anything, so they’ll stay for the whole IPL as it is.”