Rest and rotation key for England going forward, believes Ed Smith
England's chief selector Ed Smith feels that it is absolutely key for the team management to rest and rotate their players going forward, in order to keep them fresh and not burn them out. England have rested Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes from the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
On the aftermath of a gruelling summer that saw several players partake in both the World Cup and Ashes - spanning across four months - England's chief selector Ed Smith believes that going forward, it is key to rest their players to ensure their physical and mental wellbeing. A lot of players, including skipper Joe Root, admitted that the players were mentally fried by the time the Ashes beckoned and also hinted towards that as one of the reasons for their shortcoming against the Aussies.
England have, however, already started taking steps to give their key players as much rest as they can, having now rested the trio of Root, Stokes, and Buttler for the T20Is against the Kiwis, picking the likes of Tom Banton, Saqib Mahmood, and Matt Parkinson in their place instead.
"With the T20s in New Zealand, it wasn't a case of, 'What do you think about resting?' It was, 'You're rested.' It's crucial we attend to players' wellbeing," Smith told ESPN Cricinfo.
"We're fortunate that Eoin Morgan, having won the World Cup, saw an opportunity to look at new challenges and that we have a lot of depth in white-ball cricket," he added.
Smith feels that players would need to be peaking both physically and mentally to excel and perform to the best of their abilities and assured that moving forward, rest and rotation will play a key part in the selection.
"I work closely with people who are intimately involved with the pastoral care of the England team. They respect confidences, however there are times when people have said that this person might benefit from a break.
"Moving forward, rest and rotation will be a central part of good selection. Players must be well mentally and physically, and capable of performing at their best when we need them to."
The England team, led by Eoin Morgan, will kick off their tour of New Zealand with the first of five T20is at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on November 1.
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