ENG v WI 2020: "Hopefully bio-secure cricket doesn't go too far into the future", says Roach 

The entire England-West Indies Test series will be played in a bio-secure bubble due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Kemar Roach | APKemar Roach is pleased to see cricket getting back to its feet in England via the next month's Test series after COVID-19 hiatus, but the West Indies pacer also doesn't want the bio-secure bubble to be the only feasible option to have on-field action for too long. 

Roach, in an interaction with ANI from Manchester, where the West Indies players and support staff are going through a three-week quarantine and training period, talked up the challenge of adjusting to the new norm and how desperate everyone is to have normalcy back. 

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"Hopefully, it doesn't go too far into the future," he said. "It's different. Usually, we would have already left the hotel to at least get a coffee. However now, you're confined for basically two months and I imagine it will get mentally tough, but as time goes by, we'll see how this disease is managed and hopefully, we will get back to normalcy."

Questions have been raised over the need to have strict health measures in place for on-field action, including ban on usage of saliva, when only those players who have tested COVID-19 negative are taking part. A sentiment Roach echoed. 

"My belief is that if we have been all tested and the results are negative, I think we should be able to operate normally," he said. "But with the rule changes coming in, I think some guys will struggle to go against their natural instinct of high fiving and celebrating together because that's what we have been doing since we have been playing. It''s something we will have to adapt to and try to work with."

A lot of focus has also been on the crowds that won't be there in stadiums for this series. But Roach thinks from the players' perspective, that shall not be much of an issue, given that they'll be too focused on the job at hands. 

"I don't think it's much pressure (adjusting to the deafening silence on grounds). Once the guys focus on cricket and operating within the new guidelines, we should be good," he said. 

"I know there will be no fans around and that usual atmosphere will be missing, but I don't think it will be too much of a challenge. The guys are in a very good mental space and just eager to get out there and put in some good performances."

"It will be tough for all of the guys, but once we cross that line, I think the desire will still be there to perform and we can expect to see cricket played with the same level of intensity that it always has," Roach added. 

(Inputs from ANI)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 19 Jun, 2020

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