Vaughan calls for more rest

Published July 29, 2004

LONDON, July 28: England captain Michael Vaughan has called on cricket bosses to provide at least a three-day break between Test matches to allow teams to recover.

Vaughan's side compete in their second Test against West Indies at Edgbaston on Friday having had barely two days off after their Lord's success.

"I think the batters are fine, I just feel for the quick bowlers and the spinners," said Vaughan. "If you look at Ashley Giles and the number of overs he bowled in the last Test and to relive that performance again two days later is sometimes very difficult, not just physically but mentally.

"The batsmen can just continue where they left off and try and adapt themselves to the conditions at the next ground, but to keep running in as fast bowlers hour after hour and day after day is a tough job."

Vaughan believes three days between Tests should be the minimum. But there are few signs of this in the immediate future with England facing back-to-back Tests in South Africa at the end of the year, with only two days between matches in Durban and Cape Town.

They also have only 48 hours' recovery time between the second and third Ashes Tests at Edgbaston and Old Trafford next summer. "My opinion is that in the modern game you have to have back-to-back Tests, but I've always felt that two days in-between is not enough," Vaughan said. -AFP

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