The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has to be credited for pioneering the blueprint ‘cricket in the bubble phenomenon’, a new experience of playing behind closed doors during the last few months in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The English were able to convince the West Indies, Ireland, Pakistan, and Australia to engage in live sports when the World Health Organisation (WHO) was championing the need to employ social distancing measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
I don’t think enough has been said of the efforts of those at the helm of the ECB and particularly those who were integral in pulling together those bilateral series which were otherwise in doubt due to the virus. Let’s not forget that Britain, during that time was struggling to contain the spread of the virus among its population.
As a consequence of the ECB’s success in such unusual circumstances, the cricket world was much more comfortable to digest the staging of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and now the Indian Premier League (IPL).
You don’t have to look too far for evidence of the foregoing. Our very own Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul, who opted out of the England series for health concerns were both present at the CPL and now the IPL.
It appears as though their change of heart was influenced by two factors: West Indies’ incident-free tour of England which softened any fears of contracting the virus and secondly, of course, the attractive incentives attached to participating in the IPL and CPL.
Again, let’s applaud the ECB; they managed to stage international cricket during the pandemic. The players too have to be lauded for their bravery and discipline to adhere to the many rigid restrictions to make it a success. That in itself wasn’t easy as was detailed by England’s Jofra Archer.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m not sure how many more bubbles I’ve got left in me for the rest of the year,” Archer told ESPN.
“I haven’t seen my family really since February and its September now. The IPL is going to take up most of October. In November we go to South Africa; well, hopefully, we go to South Africa. That only leaves me with a few weeks in December for the rest of the year.”
Australia’s David Warner too expressed discomfort as he summed up the experience.
“Bubble life is very challenging,” Warner said at his pre-IPL press conference. “It is the hardest thing not to have family with us due to restrictions, but these are unprecedented times due to Covid-19.”
It will be interesting to see how the international calendar pans out for the rest of the year and beyond during these uncertain times. COVID-19 isn’t the only looming threat; it appears as though the mental health of players will also be a challenge. One thing for sure though, the ECB has led the way and provided a brilliant blueprint.
