Thorpe warns of burn-out for top players

Graham Thorpe believes he is reaping the rewards for taking last winter off to rest. Thorpe has told The Mail on Sunday that he understood that his was gambling with his international future when he opted to miss the tour of South Africa, but felt that the need to recharge his batteries, and spend some time with his family, took precedence after a decade of winter tours with England teams.

Thorpe also revealed that he would not be surprised if several other top English players were considering a similar course of action, as the demands on Test cricketers become ever greater.

"The workload over the next couple of years is going to be extremely demanding," Thorpe explained. "I know from experience that to perform at the highest level, you need to have mental and physical freshness and a constant round of high intensity competition is going to take its toll.

"When I made the decision to take the winter off to be with my family I knew I was gambling with my career, but to me the risk was worth it," he continued. "Psychologically and physically I could go so far, but no further. I was trying to dig deep but there was nothing there. The buzz was missing from my game and I could see the same thing happening to some of my colleagues unless steps are taken now to make the workload more bearable.

"I couldn't keep going to the well -- sooner or later there'll be nothing left. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the guys are so concerned about the schedule coming up that they are considering their options carefully."

England have the rare pleasure of a Christmas at home this winter. There is a six-week long break between the tour of Pakistan, ending on 11th December, and the tour of Sri Lanka that starts in February.