New Zealand veteran Ross Taylor recalled the experience of playing the first match of the now-suspended Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in March.

The first ODI of the three-match series played at the SCG in Sydney was conducted behind closed doors, as the COVID-19 pandemic had just started to firm its grip. 

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That was before the Black Caps' visit to Australia was indefinitely postponed by cricket authorities of the two countries in wake of the traveling restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government, asking the national side to immediately fly back home. 

"It was quite strange leading into the game. There were lots of whispers about the game being canceled and everything happened very quickly. In the context of the match, turning up the preparation felt a bit strange," ESPNcricinfo quoted Taylor as saying. 

Taylor's words shall come in handy to those advocating for cricket in empty stadiums whenever resumable and are also looking for players' views on the matter. 

"To me, it felt like a warm-up game, didn't feel like a true international match but I guess once you get into it it's no different to if you are playing a competitive game of backyard cricket or a club game, you give it your all."

"But I'm not going to lie, it did feel very strange. At the same time there could be a few games like that so I'm sure as players we'll have to adjust to that and get used to it," Taylor added.

The deadly outbreak, since originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, has resulted in an unprecedented health crisis, infecting more than 3.1 million people and claiming over 2,27,000 lives. 

For cricket, this has meant the global suspension of all its immediate international and domestic fixtures, with no certainty over when those could possibly be played. 

(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)