The case for rotating fast bowlers through a long season

Resting a fit fast bowler remains one of the least popular decisions in the sport, and one of the better-supported ones.

What the workload numbers say

The relationship between overs bowled in a compressed period and subsequent soft-tissue injury is now well enough understood that most boards plan around it. The disagreement is about how visible that planning should be.

Nobody thanks a selector for the injury that did not happen.

The supporter's objection

The counter-argument is straightforward: a series is not won by a bowler who is on the sidelines. Reconciling those two positions is the actual job.