 May says world stars like Flintoff are being 'flogged' |
Leading cricketers' representative Tim May fears player strikes or widespread doping could result if administrators do not cut playing schedules. Cricket's governing body relaxed its future tours programme (FTP) in March but teams are scheduling extra games.
"The FTP is a disaster because it puts no upper limit on the amount of cricket that can be scheduled," said May.
"If there is anything that will force the players to take the ultimate step of industrial action, it's the FTP."
Former Australia off-spinner May has always had a stormy relationship with International Cricket Council boss Malcolm Speed.
But his organisation, the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (Fica), has a mandate to represent players from seven of the 10 Test-playing with the remaining three - Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India - expected to sign up by October.
"There are five or six guys in the five leading sides in the world who play Tests and ODIs and they are being flogged," he said in an interview with The Wisden Cricketer magazine.
"They are the ones who make the difference between a 10,000 crowd and a sell-out, they are the ones who the broadcasters and commercial partners pay for.
"They are exhausted and they are not going to take much more."
 | You only have to look at the doping record in baseball to see that recovery, not enhanced power, is the motivation for most drug misuse |
The ICC's future tours programme calls for each team to play the other nine Test sides in at least two Tests and three one-day internationals at home and away every six years.
But England and Australia play five-Test Ashes series on a four-year cycle and India have just reached similar agreements with both England and Australia.
India also aim to play at least six one-day games against West Indies in USA and Canada over the next few months.
May drew parallels with baseball, which has been hit by allegations of drug misuse over the last year, as he warned of the consequences of pushing players too far.
"You only have to look at the doping record in baseball to see that recovery, not enhanced power, is the motivation for most drug misuse.
"The more we push our players the more they might look at options."
Drug-testing has become standard at major global cricket events over the last five years but has so far found mostly recreational users.
Australia spinner Shane Warne received a year's ban in 2002 for using a banned diuretic which can be used as a masking agent for steroids, but which he maintains was for weight loss.
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