Jack Leaning takes aim at county schedule: "It's an absolute joke"

Kent's stand-in red-ball skipper is fuming at the structure of the campaign ahead of the return of the T20 Blast

Jack Leaning has taken a giant swipe at the county schedule, labelling the constant switch between formats "an absolute joke" and "a shambles", and accusing the sport's decision-makers of forgetting the wellbeing of players.

The comments come ahead of the final rounds of the Blast group stage and next week's quarter-finals, occurring in between rounds of the LV= Insurance County Championship.

Defending champions Spitfires round off a dreadful Blast campaign against Surrey (July 1) and Glamorgan (July 3) just days after drawing with the former over four days at the Kia Oval.

Counties then return to Championship action with three rounds of matches in July before the One-Day Cup and The Hundred begin.

Leaning is frustrated by not just the relentlessness of the schedule, but the lack of awareness of the physical demands placed on players. 

"I personally think it's an absolute joke," said Leaning according to Kent Online. "I think it's a bit of a shambles, to be honest.

^{Leaning's Kent are back in Blast action against Surrey (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)}

"As players, we're expected to just dart between the two formats with very little rest and to perform at our best is hard.

"I think sometimes the powers that be - I imagine there’s a lot more things that go on - but they want to get as many people in.

"I appreciate there sometimes needs to be red-ball cricket around for people going to England or to appease members, but from a player's perspective it's bloody difficult."

ECB managing director of county cricket Neil Snowball is responsible for putting the fixture list together. Following the tribulations of England men's Test team last year, more red-ball cricket was inserted into the fulcrum of the summer but that has naturally had a knock-on effect.

Leaning, Kent's red-ball captain in the absence of Sam Billings, wants a full return to blocks for each competition rather than a mix and match approach.

"Last week we got back at 4am from Somerset for a T20 and then we're having to play a Championship game the next morning," he added. "It's just stupid.

^{Leaning operates as Kent's red-ball captain in the absence of Sam Billings (Getty Images/Justin Setterfield)}

"I get that there are four competitions to squeeze in but, for me, why can't we just have everything in a block by itself?

"Or, if we're going to play Championship games in the middle of T20, don't play two more T20s in the middle of those Championship games.

"Actually play it in a block of three or four games and then finish off the T20 competition.

"To jump between the two is hard enough when you’ve got injuries and you’re in the middle of a season anyway, let alone trying to do it with a depleted squad.

"We finished a T20 two days [before playing Surrey], we had an optional training session on Saturday and there’s that balance between rest and play so it's not easy.

"It’s part of the game now and you have to find a way of doing it as a player, but for me, it needs to be addressed and I think just by adjusting a couple of things it could be really made a lot easier from a players' perspective."

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