London, Apr. 19 (ANI): England coach Andy Flower has admitted that he is worried about the possibility of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff experiencing a burnout by playing in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa for the Chennai Super Kings.
Therefore in anticipation of the grueling summer ahead, Flower has said that he will rotate Flintoff and his fellow England quicks to save them from burnout.
Apart from IPL duty, England cricketers are to play the West Indies in two Tests, the Twenty20 World Cup, The Ashes and seven one-dayers against the Aussies. Flintoff and Co then travel to South Africa for seven more ODIs and five Tests.
News of The World quoted Flower as saying: “Without a doubt I am worried about the physical and mental effects of the workload. It’s an incredibly busy year. We are going to have to very carefully manage workloads in practice, in training, in the gym and on the field. There might have to be calculated rest for certain people. We will definitely look at rotation. We will have to discuss it with the captain and the selectors but it is only sensible to rotate players. Sometimes you need mental and emotional breaks as well as physical ones, but certainly the physical workload on our fast bowlers is heavy.”
Flower initiated a boot-camp fitness regime on the recent West Indies tour. He has warned his players to expect more pain over the coming months to help them cope with the demands of international cricket. (ANI)