England and West Indies players have been instructed to follow all the bio-secure protocols and to restrict themselves to a bio-secure bubble in Manchester for their safety in the COVID-19 era.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has prepared a 'bio-secure' environment for all the support staff and players in order to keep them safe during the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak as England and West Indies are gearing up for the three-match Test series starting on July 8 at The Ages Bowl.
The Test series has gained historic status as it will mark the return of international cricket after Coronavirus-forced hiatus since March, and will be played at the empty stadiums as well as at the bio-secure venues with a number of the changes in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Well, for now, players from both teams are forced to live and train at a bio-secure bubble, wearing masks while maintaining social distancing in Manchester – that would be certainly a different experience for them, although, the West Indies pacer Oshane Thomas insisted it has not been bad.
In an interaction with ANI from Manchester, Thomas said the experience of staying in a bio-secure bubble in England has not been bad while lauding the ECB and Cricket West Indies (CWI) for looking after the safety of players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas said: “Well, in terms of how long things will be like this, we really have to wait and see. The experience hasn't been bad. The ECB and CWI have done all in their power to ensure that we are comfortable. A lot of free time is spent in the games room playing dominoes.”
On the saliva-ban, the pacer said: “Currently, sweat is the option that we have and honestly, it is not working out too badly. I am not thinking too far into the future on this.”
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old pacer insisted that the tourists are well prepared to deal with the changes introduced by the ICC to tackle the COVID-19 threat on the field.
He further added, “I don't think falling back into that habit (using saliva) has been an issue within the team and certainly not for myself. We were well prepared by Cricket West Indies (CWI) prior to coming over and the changes have been practiced from day one.”
Reacting to West Indies great Andy Roberts’ complement that he would be his first pick against England, said: “Any positive compliment coming from such a legend of West Indies and world cricket is huge. I just have to stay focused, improve on my fitness, and make sure I live up to that.”
He signed off, “Well, I have been working hard at it (improving fitness). This camp is a perfect opportunity for me to judge myself and to improve. So, I must say thanks to CWI for the opportunity. Once I improve my fitness, I will be able to bowl faster for longer spells; that will really assist my game.”
(With ANI Inputs)
