I was going to say that it was time to forget about cricket for a while and concentrate on rugby. But then I met Matthew Maynard in the gym and he said he was off to India today for the ICC Champions Trophy.

They don't get much rest do they, those poor England cricketers? Apparently their next break of three weeks is next Christmas - 2007 that is.

Maynard is feeling the strain of non-stop cricket, too. He's just had a shoulder operation and won't be able to throw until the Ashes in late November. I'm not joking when I say that he has injured himself by continuously throwing balls at the England batsmen - it's true. Duncan Fletcher had the same operation a couple of years ago.

And then I saw on TV some ridiculous tournament between three Indian sides - some sort of trial for the national one-day side. Mark Ramprakash was in the studio and decided to pick three such sides for England's purposes. About the only Surrey player he did not include was himself. Nayan Doshi, I ask you.

Cricket just doesn't stop. Neither does rugby, mind you, with this unfathomable EDF Energy Cup. There's loads of money at stake but no-one puts out their strongest side - except the Blues (Xavier Rush was injured) and the Ospreys.

Not one of the English sides came close to naming a full-strength side - Wasps probably came closest, and took part in a wonderfully entertaining match at the Arms Park. Apparently it was the referee's fault they lost.

But why this general indifference to this Cup? Because it is obvious that this is a competition too far, just like the NatWest Pro40 in county cricket. Just like the Champions Trophy, too. Money rules. Any thought of player standards or burn-out go straight out of the window......

See today's Argus for the full Steve James column