English Test captain Ben Stokes has called on the English Cricket Board (ECB) to reassess the nature of their "jam-packed" schedule, claiming that players were "not cars".
Following home Tests against both New Zealand and India within recent months, the 31-year-old opted to call time on his ODI career, with his 105th and final outing in coloured clothes coming during England's 62-run loss to South Africa at Chester-le-street on Tuesday.
Stokes' choice to walk away from his white-ball commitments will see him miss the remainder of the series against the South Africans, the subsequent set of T20 internationals or in The Hundred.
However, the all-rounder has professed that he is committed to continuing his T20 international career following the completion of the summer schedule.
Speaking ahead of the defeat to the Proteas, Stokes stated that he hoped his choice to walk away from the format would act as a wake-up call to creators of such crammed fixtures.
"We are not cars," Stokes told BBC Radio.
"You can't just fill us up and we'll go out there and be ready to be fuelled up again. We had a Test series and then the one-day team had a series going on at the same time - that was a bit silly.
"I just feel like there is too much cricket rammed in for people to play all three formats now. It is a lot harder than it used to be. I look back to when I used to do all three and it didn't feel like it was as jam-packed and all that.
"Obviously, you want to play as much cricket as you possibly can but when it is making you feel tired, sore and you've got to look towards five or six months down the road for what you're doing in the here and now it is probably not the best thing."
Though professing that creating more games should be seen as a positive for cricket on English shores, the Kiwi-born bludgeoner was also quick to claim that quality control was being stretched.
"The more cricket that is played, the better for the sport, but you want a product that is of the highest quality," Stokes added in his pre-game conference.
"You want the best players to be playing as much as you possibly can, all the time, and it isn't just me or us. You see it all around the world now where teams are having to rest some players in a certain series so they feel like they are getting a break."
Stokes' former skipper, Kevin Pietersen, took to Twitter in the wake of the redhead's retirement, suggesting that he too had qualms with the ECB's desire for quantity over quality during his professional career.
While the form of Stokes as skipper, as well as the blades of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, saw England get the better of both the Blackcaps and Indians during the 5-day format, the dual efforts of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad with the ball also required praise.
And as both of these veteran bowlers professed they had been able to prolong their Test careers after culling their white-ball commitments, Stokes said he was only too willing to follow in their footsteps.
"I asked Stuart if he felt that not playing white-ball cricket was a reason he is still playing now, 160 Tests. He said without a shadow of a doubt, yes. I want to play 140-150 Tests for England," Stokes added.
"It's come a lot earlier than I would have liked at 31 years old, giving one of the formats up. T20 bowl, 2-3 overs here and there. Longevity I have thought about. Hopefully, when I'm 35, 36, still playing Test cricket, I can look back on this decision and say I'm very happy with it."
Having averaged 48.50 during England's series win over New Zealand, as well as managing five wickets during the rescheduled victory over India, Stokes' form in creams is sure to have him beaming.
So too will the break he is set to embark on before he and Brendon McCullum resume the latest round of 'Bazball' during the first test against the South Africans at Lord's on August 17.