The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Sunil Gavaskar appalled at players' attitude

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 19, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Sunil Gavaskar appalled at players' attitude

New Delhi: The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has ridiculed suggestions that excessive cricket was burning players out saying those who could not stand the heat should stay out.

Gavaskar, who is also the chairman of ICC's Cricketing Committee, said he was surprised at cricketers complaining about the calendar as representing one's country was an honour. "I can't see the problem, these players are turning out for their countries. It's an honour to represent your country. I would be willing to sweat 365 days in a year for India. Those who can't stand the heat should stay out," Gavaskar said on a television programme.

The former Indian captain was reacting to recent reports of a possible strike by international cricketers if the ICC did not reduce the number of matches.

"We're frustrated, we're concerned and we're disappointed the ICC and the member countries aren't abiding by principles that are supposed to be abided by in the scheduling of tours," Tim May, the president of the Federation of International Cricketers Association, was quoted as saying in the Australian media.

"It's a revenue-raising frenzy. It's pushing the players into a position where they're just going to say, `No, it's too much, we're walking away from this, we're not going to play in these games'," May said.

"Guys start going through the motions. Their bodies are extremely fatigued. They just can't keep doing it. Some players are already making a stand," he said. — PTI

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