ICC not giving enough attention to scheduling: Stokes

Ben Stokes, the captain of England's Test team, has criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for failing to pay enough attention to scheduling and added that the growth of domestic T20 leagues around the world is endangering the long-standing format of the game.

Stokes, who recently led his team to a 3-0 Test victory over Pakistan, continued by saying that the way Test cricket is currently treated and discussed, particularly in light of the rising popularity of league cricket, is hurting him.

"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," Stokes told Ian Botham on BBC on Monday. 

"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," he added. 

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

Because of the volume of cricket matches that are being played and the players' loyalty to their franchises, the 31-year-old all-rounder is also not pleased with the selection of numerous different squads and player rest periods.

"Some people say 'you are playing for England, that should be enough'. But there is a lot more to factor in. You want international cricket to be the highest standard. But we have seen a lot of different squads being picked and players being rested, and that's not the way international cricket should go," he stated.