Schedule concerns Morris

Hugh Morris insists England's players must remain "fully healthy" throughout the year

England’s new managing director Hugh Morris admits he is keen to ease the workload on the country’s best players.

There has been much debate over the demands placed on the England side, who play more international cricket now than ever before.

Morris, who will work alongside coach Peter Moores, is keen to draw up a policy on how to handle their key players.

With England committed to a heavy schedule under the Future Tours Programme until 2011, Morris has already suggested the possibility of resting players to ensure they are in prime condition for the big series.

“The consideration the board would have is that, if we played less cricket, how would that affect our commercial income?” said Morris.

“We have a FTP in place until 2011 but we have to make sure our players have the right balance between preparation, competition and rest.

Morris is keen to avoid the sight of injured players

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“We need those players to be going into those series fully fit, fully motivated and fully healthy and that is very high on the agenda.

“We need to make sure our best players are fit and raring to go and however we go about doing that, we have to have a policy in place.

“As the managing director of English cricket, if that programme is set in place until 2011 we need to make sure that we look at ways in which we have a proper balance for each individual player for the amount they prepare, the amount that they play and the amount that they rest.”

The other major issue facing Morris as he settles into his new post is the large number of Kolpak players who are being recruited by counties, which could restrict the development of future England players.

The Kolpak ruling states that “any citizen of a country with an associate agreement with the EU has the same rights as a European worker”, which prevents those players being regarded as overseas workers in county cricket.

Pedro Collins signed for Surrey as a Kolpak player this week

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It has enabled counties like Surrey to sign West Indies left-arm seamer Pedro Collins without jeopardising their quota of one overseas player for each season.

But Morris concedes there is little the ECB can do about the influx of South Africans and West Indians because of the legislation in place.

“Next year we’re going down to one overseas player from two, but as far as Kolpak is concerned we’re obviously up against European legislation there as well,” he said.

“Clearly we have to work within the parameters of European legislation. We have developed county Academy programmes and they are in place, and it’s critical that the best young players that are coming through that system have the opportunity to play first-class county cricket.

“We would like to encourage and support the development of our talented young cricketers.

“We invest heavily in county Academies and we would hope that more and more young players coming through that system would get into county sides.”