'The schedule definitely is something that needs looking at'- Ben Stokes

Newly-appointed England Test captain Ben Stokes has called for the administrators to seriously look at the 'ridiculous' scheduling, stating that 'it really needs looking at from a workload point of view'.

Scheduling has been one of the biggest talking points in the cricket ecosystem for a while now. The amount of cricket being played these days has made it impossible for multi-format players like Stokes to feature in every game for their country.

The situation has accentuated further in the post-covid era, with stringent bio-bubbles taking a toll on cricketers.

England and India remain two of the busiest sides in international cricket.

England, in particular, have played the most number of Tests (and white-ball game) since the start of the pandemic. The 'three Lions' played as many as 9 and 15 Tests in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Stokes himself took a break from international cricket to address his mental health issues last summer.

Speaking to the media following his epic knock for Durham, Stokes pointed out that two separate English teams will be playing a Test (vs New Zealand) and ODI series (vs the Netherlands) next month to explain the mess of International cricket scheduling.

"The schedule definitely is something that needs looking at. It's ridiculous the amount of cricket that is expected of people to play. The fact there is a Test match and a one-day series overlapping sums it up. It really needs looking at from a workload point of view, it is just so much," he said as quoted by The Telegraph UK.

The English Test skipper added that he wants to play every game for his country, but it's just not possible given how the fixtures are planned and since his priority at the moment is the longest format, he'll have to overlook ODI and T20Is for the time being.

"I want to play as much as I can for England, and in an ideal world, you would have a schedule that allows you to play everything, but unfortunately, that is not possible. My No. 1 priority is Test cricket at the moment so I have to prioritise that over white ball," the all-rounder said.

The Durham cricketer will start his full-time stint as Test skipper when England locks horns with the reigning World Test Championship winners, New Zealand, starting next month.