IF anybody is planning on becoming a top class cricketer the best advice they can take is not to get married.

Cricket has already becoming a breeding ground for failing marriages as couples feel the strain of being away from each other for so long.

Players are away touring all winter - this year it has been India and New Zealand - and play in England all summer - great for a single bloke but a nightmare for those with wives and families.

The demanding programme is also tough for players with a low stamina threshold and ECB chairman Lord MacLaurin has addressed the problem by saying the authorities must think about letting players opt out of tours to avoid burn-out.

Incredibly there is going to be an even greater workload for our top players in the coming years as more and more Test matches and tours are fitted into the schedule.

Lord MacLaurin says: "These cricketers are married with young families growing up and we have to be sensible about the way we care for our players and guard against burn-out."

In the next 12 months there are going to be seven Test Matches in England, lots of one-day internationals an Ashes tour over in Aussie and then the World Cup in South Africa.

It's a toss-up what we'll end up with more of...victories or divorces.