Tired Pietersen warns of burnout

Kevin Pietersen once more raised the thorny subject of player burnout as he appealed to the England board to do something about the almost non-stop schedule imposed on the team.

England have hardly had a break since late 2005 - their last meaningful rest came after the Ashes series that summer, although some players such as Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff had to take part in the ICC's Super Series in what was a six-week lay-off. The last two winter tours have ended after the English season has started, so the England players have returned and gone straight into the home season without any time off.

"When I said I was tired in the summer nobody said anything to me, nobody backed me at all," Pietersen shrugged. "It would be nice to have the decision taken out of my hands.

"It's always a very tricky question. I would find it very hard to miss a tour because I love playing cricket. When I broke a rib in the winter and had to go home, I got really frustrated watching the one-day games on television because I wanted to be out in Australia playing.

"I want to play for another nine or ten years and the schedule we have got is tricky. I have not missed a Test match since I made my debut. I am not sure about missing whole tours, but I do believe there is scope for certain players to be looked after and certain players need to be looked after."

Hugh Morris, in Sri Lanka less than a fortnight after being appointed as managing director of English cricket, offered some hope to Pietersen and his colleagues.

"Resting players is on the table, for sure," he said. "I want to discuss it with the management team and the players. There is a serious amount of international cricket being played and we need to ensure that our best players are fit and raring to go. But we have to balance the need to play the right amount of cricket with commercial considerations."