‘Should pinnacle of Test cricket be like this?’: Nasser Hussain slams tight schedule of Ashes

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was blunt about his thoughts regarding the Ashes schedule.

The third Test of Ashes 2023 has so far belonged to the players making their first appearance in this series, like Mark Wood and Mitch Marsh. At the same time, there's certainly been some lethargy and tiredness visible in players from both camps, resulting in sloppy performances and uncharacteristic errors.

File image of Nasser Hussain (Getty Images)

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was blunt about his thoughts regarding the schedule. Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Hussain criticised the Ashes schedule for not caring about the well-being of the players.

"There was a moment on Friday when I looked down at the action and wondered: why we are treating our international cricketers like pieces of meat?" wrote Hussain. "Just days after a physically and mentally draining match at Lord’s, and a fortnight after an emotional ringer of a first Ashes Test went into the last couple hours, we were watching them all slugging it out again and the madness of the schedule hit me."

The second Test was a damaging one for both squads. Australia lost Nathan Lyon for the entire series and also had to deal with a hamstring injury to Cam Green. The severity of Green's injury is unclear. Meanwhile, England lost Ollie Pope to a dislocated shoulder, having already lost Jack Leach before the series even began.

Hussain was particularly aggrieved by Ben Stokes clearly hobbling during his batting innings, struggling with fitness. He questioned the structure of the tour schedule: while there was a week between the first and second Test, there was only a three-day turnaround to Headingley, for the third Test.

"Simple changes would make all the difference. There are nine days between this game and the fourth Test in Manchester, so why only three days between this one and the second. Why not make it four and eight, and give the players an extra 24 hours of rest?" questioned Hussain.

Hussain implored the ICC, ECB, and other boards to be more careful with their planning and treatment of players. "Look after your cricketers. Remember, it is only a year since Stokes, one of the biggest assets of the game, retired from one-day internationals citing an impossible workload."

Stokes played a marathon innings at Lord's after having bowled 12 overs on the trot the innings before. Already struggling with a knee issue, that effort compromised him for this Headingley Test. "He is a remarkable cricketer who even on one leg can smash the ball into the Western Terrace. But that’s not the way it should be."

Hussain also claimed that the quality of cricket itself was suffering because of the poor planning and scheduling. "But should the pinnacle of Test cricket be like this? This is the series you should be peaking for. One with the best English and Australian cricketers going at each other full tilt."

"Yes, injuries are a part of sport, but these guys shouldn’t be on the biggest stage so impaired. It wouldn’t happen in any other sport," concluded the former English captain.