Ben Stokes lambasts ICC over scheduling

Ben Stokes (Source: Twitter)

After an enthralling series victory over Pakistan by 3-0, English skipper Ben Stokes has been praised for his captaincy decisions by pundits all over the world.

Notably, the Three Lions were the world champions too in Australia last month where they displayed an outstanding show beating Pakistan in the finals. However, immediately after the T20 World Cup, England were bound to face Australia in a three-match ODI series which Stokes feels was non-contextual.

The all-rounder lashed out at the International Cricket Council (ICC) over their schedule in the past few years. He mentioned that Test cricket has not been given the preference it deserves which is because different competitions are been given more importance in the current scenario.

The 31-year-old asserted that he loves Test cricket and the way it has been spoken about in the past doesn't make him feel great.

"The scheduling doesn't get enough attention that it should. A great example is England's one-day series against Australia after the T20 World Cup. That was shoving three games in there. It made sense to someone to schedule a series which meant nothing,

"Test cricket has been spoken about in a way I don't like. It is losing the attention of the fans with all the new formats and franchise competitions. We understand there are so many opportunities for players away from Test cricket. But for me it is so important for the game,

"I love playing Test cricket and felt we could do something different."

Stokes was recently bought by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL for a whopping ₹ 16.25 Crore, making him the third-highest buy of the season.

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