Australian Cricketers Association Chief Executive, Todd Greenburg, has urged the national cricketers, coaches, and commentators to be more diligent and do a bit of homework before signing overseas T20 deals in this COVID-19 era when the entire world, especially India, is in grip of the pandemic.
Greenburg’s remark came after the 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday (May 4) after the Coronavirus cases were reported in the bio-bubbles of different franchises across India, which is battling a severe second wave of COVID-19 infections now.
While most of the players from England have reached the United Kingdom, the suspension of IPL 2021 has left the Australian contingent – the biggest overseas contingent in the IPL 14 with close to 40 members – stranded due to a travel ban imposed by the Australian government till May 15th.
The Australian contingent including players, coaches, and commentators are hoping to board charter planes soon from the Maldives or Sri Lanka to return home after the postponement of the T20 league.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Greenberg stated: “I'm not sure it will create reticence (in the future) but it will ensure players do their due diligence before they sign agreements.”
He further added, “The world is literally changing before our eyes particularly with COVID and on that side of the world, obviously, those cases are going up exponentially. We're enjoying our freedoms here in Australia. It is a very different place over there. If anything it sends a message to players about making sure you do your homework before making any decisions.”
The ACA CEO has also admitted that many Aussies members may be dealing with anxiety and stress at the moment and promised to help them once they return to their country.
Greenberg further explained, “I was at pains to point it out during the week, the public will see our best Australian cricketers as almost superheroes, they're brilliant athletes, great cricketers, but they're human beings, some of them are fathers and husbands and they're under enormous amounts of stress.
Some deal with it differently. This will probably be an experience they will never forget. We will help them when they come home. Some will cope with it really well, others will need support and counseling and that's what we'll do.”
He signed off by saying, “They signed up with their eyes wide open about some of the challenges and risks when they went in. What they didn't expect were the borders to be closed. That created anxiety for them, just like it would create anxiety for the 9,000-odd Australians over there looking to come home. That's a normal reaction for our players.”
(With PTI Inputs)
