Stars need a lay-off to shine

Coach Duncan Fletcher is advocating regular breaks of at least three months for his hardest-working England players.

Fletcher has already broken new ground by withdrawing key men like Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart from the final stages of last summer's County Championship so they could have a four-week rest before embarking on another round of winter tours.

While he believes they benefited hugely from that breather, he insists more needs to be done to protect the game's prize assets.

"I still think a break is required where the guys get out of cricket for a minimum of three months," said Fletcher.

"South Africa did that last year and I see Australia are opting for something similar where the body can recover. I believe it should happen just about every year."

With world cricket bosses putting together a 10-year programme so that all 10 Test-playing nations can play each other regularly, it seems as though the workload for cricketers is likely to increase rather than decrease.

But Fletcher is adamant gaps must be found.

"I think there is a chance to make it happen," he said. "I've discussed it with our board and we are looking at a programme of how to bring it about."

Graham Thorpe, another England player vital to both Test and one-day teams, took the matter into his own hands last winter by awarding himself a sabbatical.

Significantly, he has come back refreshed and, in Pakistan before Christmas, probably batted better than ever before. Now other senior players have hinted they may follow his lead.

Fletcher added: "Players need a total break to let their bodies recover. Also, it would give you a chance to work with an individual, once he's had a good rest. That would be the time to change something in a player's technique, if it was thought necessary."

England's decision to put their leading performers under central contract gives them the right to withdraw players from domestic cricket - a right which Fletcher exercised last year.

But now he is clearly looking at the broader picture.