English all-rounder Moeen Ali expects more players to withdraw from some formats due to the busy schedule.
Test captain Ben Stokes retired from one-day internationals in July, while he and his England team-mate Jonny Bairstow have chosen to miss The Hundred.
“At the moment it is not sustainable,” said Moeen, who stopped playing Test cricket last year.
Moeen, 35, is concerned that over-50s cricket could disappear amid Twenty20’s rising dominance.
Speaking after his Birmingham Phoenix side lost to Trent Rockets in The Hundred on Saturday he said: “Something has to be done because I’m afraid of losing the 50-over format in a few years because it’s almost like the long, boring one. No importance is being given to it at the moment.
“International cricket in all three formats is by far the best cricket to play, but I am concerned that there are so many tournaments that players are retiring more now – and you will be retiring more soon – due to overlapping schedules.”
The calendar has become busier in recent years due to an increase in global events and the emergence of more T20 franchise matches around the world plus The Hundred in England and Wales.
The 50-over One-Day Cup is currently being contested by counties missing several players involved in The Hundred.
Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin recently questioned the long-term survival of the 50-over game, saying he: stop watching 50 over games on television.
Announcing his ODI retirement, 31-year-old Stokes said: “Too much cricket has been rammed in to allow people to play all three formats now.”
Interim England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Clare Connor told BBC Sport this week that Stokes’ message had heard “absolutely”.
“It’s something we have to struggle with – that’s us with players, other boards, the International Cricket Council and the Professional Cricketers’ Association,” she said.
