Pakistan’s bowling coach Waqar Younis has on Friday (October 16) expressed his concerns about the players’ mental health because of the mandatory isolation period and the bio-secure bubbles.

At the present COVID-19 era, the sporting world is forced to undergo a mandatory isolation period and live in the bio-secure bubbles before and after the game both at the international and domestic stage in a wake of the Coronavirus outbreak to ensure the game survives in this challenging situation.

Waqar, who was recently in the bio-secure bubble with the Pakistan team for two months in England for a bilateral series, said it is difficult to spend so much time in the bio-secure conditions, as the legendary pacer warned that the being completely isolated from their surroundings can affect players’ mental health if cricket continued to be played for more time in the COVID-19 situation.

Read Also: England could tour Pakistan in 2021 after invitation for "short white-ball series"

However, the former Pakistan captain said he understands the current pandemic situation, but all the cricketing boards must seriously look at mental health.

Waqar stated: “It is not easy for players or officials to spend so much time in the bio-secure conditions and it could eventually affect their mental health. This is an issue that is not just about Pakistan cricket but concerns the entire cricket world.”

He explained, “It is difficult for players and support staff to spend days and weeks at the end in a restricted environment. The tour to England was a learning curve for us in this regard and that is why I am concerned about the future. I just hope that the COVID-19 situation does not continue for a long time.”

The bowling coach signed off by saying that if anyone doesn’t want to play in this situation, his decision should be respected by the team and management.

(With PTI Inputs)