Dhoni wants full stop to non-stop cricket

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Saturday, came down heavily on the Asia Cup format and blamed it for the falling standards of the game. “I am extremely disappointed with the format. These days the schedule has been very tough and we are playing continuous matches. In the last 48 hours, we have been on the field for 36 hours. Back-to-back matches are very disappointing,” he said after the win against Bangladesh.

Besides the punishing schedule, Dhoni was critical of the playing conditions. “You cannot really blame the bowlers or the fielders. The weather, plus this kind of schedule, tires you a lot. I am a bit disappointed with the bowlers but one has to understand that nothing much can be done if this is the way it continues,” the skipper said. India played Hong Kong on June 25 followed by a match against Pakistan the next day. “I am not surprised that not just us, but even Pakistan and Bangladesh kept dropping catches,” he said.