Steve Waugh worried about player burnout

Steve Waugh has protested against plans by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to stage an indoor one-day cricket tournament in September, fearing player burnout.

The Australian captain said the ACB's proposal to hold a three-match series with India at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium would eat into the players' six-week break between the Ashes and the start of the domestic summer.

"We have got a long tour of England. If you play at Docklands you are straight into the next season ... it is a big workload," Waugh told the Daily Telegraph.

"We are not talking just physical. These days it is more mental. If the guys are feeling stale by that time it is not a good time to play it."

The Australian Cricketers' Association has warned the ACB it would be putting the best players at serious risk of injury if it pushed ahead with the series.

Australia played South Africa indoors and under lights at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium last year and were so pleased with the outcome that they said they would play an annual series indoors.

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