May 26, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 09, 1428

DUBAI, May 25: Malcolm Speed, the International Cricket Council's chief executive warned that “some of our members need to be very careful with amount of additional international cricket they schedule”.

Earlier Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh's coach said: “Schedules are cramped — over cramped if you ask me — so I don't know how we are going to fit everything in.”

After bloated World Cup, appetite for cricket, especially more instant and forgettable one-day variety, was sated and rest needed. Circus had no time to catch breath before two-Test series began. So packed is calendar Bangladesh had no choice but to host India at a time of year rain was guaranteed.

Last year South Africa hosted New Zealand in cold and foggy late May, two months later than any Test had been played in country before. Next month, Afro-Asian Cup will be staged in southern India when monsoon will have hit the region.

In the three-week period from late June, not only are England playing West Indies, but Ireland hosting India and South Africa before those two meet in three ODIs in Belfast. Pakistan play Scotland on July 1 and two days later collide with India's tour in Glasgow. West Indies take on Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland in six-match quadrangular series in Belfast and Dublin in early July.

All this comes at a time when players associations and ICC are warning about player burnout. Spectator burnout, as evidenced by dismal crowds at World Cup, is not far behind.

Reason for mass of one-dayers is cash. Real money comes from broadcast deals, and boards, with India at vanguard, are no longer willing to be constrained by limitations of its own seasons.

India signed lucrative $219 million deal with Zee TV in 2006 which requires them to play 25 home ODIs outside India in each of next five years. Those are in addition to all their domestic and Future Tours Programme commitments.

Net result is that Indian side is beginning to resemble Harlem Globetrotters more than a national team, playing anywhere and everywhere they can, regardless of season or setting. Other boards are not far behind, but none so far have gone so far down route of selling game's soul so blatantly.

Lalit Modi, BCCI's vice-president, is unapologetic: “I don't agree with fatigue factor. We are playing same amount of cricket as in past. It's just that we have marketed it better.”

He overlooks toll on players, who spend more time travelling than they do playing, is crippling.—Agencies