Graham Thorpe's decision to retire from Test cricket for the time being has raised a number of issues.

It highlights the increasing pressure being put on cricketers, both internationally and at domestic level as well.

It is a worrying trend when you see marriages starting to fall apart because of the amount of cricket played.

Graham Thorpe and Darren Gough certainly fall into that category and Dominic Cork went through something similar a couple of years ago.

The marketing side of the game is dictating that we play much more one-day cricket.

So, is the schedule having a detrimental affect on the players?

In the Test arena, there is no Andy Caddick through injury, no Darren Gough and now we have Graham Thorpe pulling out.

Are we playing too much cricket? Are we giving ourselves enough time to recover fully from matches? Certainly we are experiencing major injury problems here at Sussex.

A bit of it is misfortune but the schedule players are being asked to play is getting hotter and hotter.

With the price of Division One survival being so high, you are forced to keep asking more from your players in respect of playing and preparation. Time off between games is very scarce.

The demands on players, physically and mentally, are extremely high and it is not surprising to see someone like Graham Thorpe saying he has had enough.

Mike Atherton retired all too prematurely. At the age of 34, he could have had many more years but through a degenerative injury he pulled out.

It will get worse and worse unless we address the matter both internationally and domestically.

Against Warwickshire and again last Sunday, we suffered from a heavy schedule and quite a few players being out through injury.

After four great days at Somerset, we moved up to Warwickshire and for two days we hung on in there but eventually buckled under the strain with a lot of experienced players out through injury.

The one notable performance would be Tony Cottey's third hundred of the year and second in a row which is great news for him and great news for us. He has rediscovered the form for which we brought him to the club.

There are five games to go and, as Richard Montgomerie said the other day, 39 points will keep us up, so that is the target.

That is what we are after going into the big game against Surrey next week and then Lancashire a couple of weeks later. It is a realistic target, especially with Hampshire looking increasingly in danger after losing eight points for their pitch.

The NUL continues to be a frustrating competition for us. The capitulation of the side at Cheltenham on Sunday was very disappointing. With so many players like myself, James Kirtley, Mark Davis and Mike Yardy out through injury, it is putting a lot of strain on the youngsters in the side and it also puts pressure on the likes of Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin to perform with the bat.

The only light at the end of the tunnel is that, although promotion is very unlikely, we have a lot of day-nighters coming up at Hove. They are a great spectacle for the crowd and they should benefit us greatly because last year we did very well in all the day-nighters.

I am very proud and privileged to be awarded a testimonial by Sussex. Benefits are awarded for services to a county and the game.

It is an honour that the committee feel that, not just my service to them over the last five years but my affect on the field as a batsman, plus my ten years at Derby should receive some recognition.

It should be great fun and I am looking forward to it very much.