Many of the game's top players are playing fewer games than their predecessors Malcolm Speed

"The terms of reference and scope of the project are yet to be determined.

"But it is likely it will compare players workloads over eras, as well as assessing injury trends," said chief executive Malcolm Speed.

Concerns about the workload imposed on international cricketers by the ICC's Future Tours Programme have been expressed on numerous occasions.

But that view is by no means universal and India are actively trying to arrange games for their national team, which lie outside the Future Tours Programme, in countries with a large expatriate population.

"The directive we have given to our members is that in instances where they are considering adding to the current schedule, they should do so in consultation with their elite players," said Speed.

India have already played Tests against Pakistan, England and West Indies in 2006

He insisted the FTP was "fundamentally good for the game" and claimed the words 'burn-out' and 'saturation' were often used in the absence of facts and evidence.

Despite that, the ICC believes it is time for "proper research" which will help balance the needs of players with public and commercial interest in the game.

But Speed added: "Far from being concerned about the excessive volume of cricket being played by our members, we believe many of them should be looking for opportunities to programme more cricket.

"When the schedules of our members are looked at over the course of the forthcoming six years, only three teams come close to reaching the players' recommended upper limit (of 15 Tests and 30 ODIs in any 12-month period) - Australia, England and India."