INDIAN legend Sunil Gavaskar has told Chris Tremlett to reduce the amount of cricket he plays - to help his international ambitions.

Tremlett has only played 30 first class matches since the start of the 2005 English domestic season.

He played 11 championship games that year, followed by nine in 2006 and six last summer.

In addition, he played three Tests against India last summer and one three-day game against India for England A at Chelmsford.

He played 14 one-dayers (not including Twenty20) last year, just five in 2006 and 19 in 2005 - the year he made his England ODI debut.

In all, that's 68 games since April 2005 - just over two a month.

"My advice to Chris is to perhaps reduce the amount of cricket he is playing and to work on strengthening his body in the right way," said Gavaskar.

"He bowled very well against India at Trent Bridge and he's a good bowler, but the key is for him to stay fit.

"The best way he can do that is to look at England's international schedule and Hampshire's county cricket programme for the next twelve months and to decide, along with his coaches, to perhaps make himself available for only one form of the game.

"I'm not saying he should give up playing one-day cricket altogether.

"If England are not playing any matches for six weeks then he can play both four-day and one-day cricket for Hampshire.

"But when England are playing, he should stick to the form of the game that he is selected in.

"He's probably a bit quicker than (former Hampshire bowler) Stuart Clark but it's too early to say that he will be as good as Clark."

More Hampshire cricket in today's Daily Echo.