Tim May, the former Australian test off-spin bowler and the current Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) chief executive, has come out swinging at the number of Test and One Day International matches being played by top cricketers in the world, speculating that there may be an increase in the number of players using performance enhancing drugs as a result.
Referring to scandals surrounding the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball in the U.S., he says that it is the pursuit of mere recovery and not improved performance that will be the main driver of an increase in drug use amongst some international cricket players.
With the announcement of the Future Tours Programme for the 2006/7 international cricket season, there is talk of possible strike action by players because, according to May, it puts no limit on the amount of future games that could be played. Leading South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has backed up May’s criticisms of the “flogging” some players are receiving as the result of punishing schedules.