Ireland's head coach Graham Ford has expresses concerns about the visibility of the white-ball in the empty stadiums ahead of the Ireland XI vs England Lions match at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday (July 26).
Ireland cricket team is currently in England to play a three-match One Day International series starting on July 30 at the bio-secure Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium – the venue will host all matches of the series.
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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECB banned spectators from the stadium for all the matches for now in order to combat the Coronavirus threat on the field, and even the players are confined to a bio-secure bubble as well.
However, the empty stands weren’t a major issue for fielders in ongoing England vs West Indies Test series, but Ireland's players found it difficult to see the white ball against the light seats.
In a virtual press conference on Friday, Ford voiced concerns over the visibility of the white-ball against the backdrop of empty cream-colored seats at the Ageas Bowl Stadium after his players found it difficult to spot the white ball during their intra-squad practice game here.
Ford stated: “The thing that's a little bit of a concern is the background. The seating is either cream or white, and you've got a white ball and an empty stadium, so that background for fielders might be a challenge.”
He further added, “It does take a bit of getting used to, but we've got a week of prep and we can make sure that we hone that, and make sure that guys are comfortable and almost getting their eyes in while fielding. It can be tricky: a white ball on cream and white seats will be tricky, but we've got enough time to make sure we can't use that as an excuse.”
Meanwhile, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie admitted that the situation is really challenging but he hopes a week of practice will help the players get comfortable before the ODI series against England.
Balbirnie signed off by saying, “It can be tricky. A white ball on cream and white seats will be tricky, but we've got enough time to make sure we can't use that as an excuse. It does take a bit of getting used to, but we've got a week of prep and we can make sure that we hone that, and make sure that guys are comfortable and almost getting their eyes in while fielding.”
(With PTI Inputs)
