Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch on Tuesday (August 18) said confined to biosecure bubbles due to COVID-19 pandemic is going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years.
He also felt that the strict restrictions on the players' movements during the matches could take a toll on their mental wellbeing amid the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.
However, Finch said Australian staff is working hard to prepare players for the challenges, as a 21-man national squad is all set to enter the biosecure bubbles next month when they travel England for a T20 International series starting September 4 in Southampton followed by an ODI series.
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Finch told reporters in a video call: “I definitely feel it's going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years, in particular. It's going to be something to monitor heavily. Because it could be a few months that guys are in these bio-bubbles and being stuck in a hotel room by yourself for a couple of weeks on end - or four-five months ... that could be really tough.”
He further revealed that the Australian team's sports psychologist Michael Lloyd has tailored plans for players and was talking to each about recognizing “when things might be a little bit off” during COVID-19 lockdown since March 2020.
The 33-year-old opener also said the players were strictly instructed about adhering to biosecurity protocols after England paceman Jofra Archer was sanctioned for a breach of the new COVID-19 rules during the Test series against West Indies last month.
Finch signed off by saying, “We’ve been really strong with the guys in the last couple of weeks... Because at the end of the day, if that falls over then we’re all out of jobs.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
