Ever since the resumption of international cricket post COVID-19 hiatus, the players have been forced to stay in bio-bubbles, where their life is restricted to hotels and stadiums.
No wonder, players are finding it mentally challenging and South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is the latest to speak about it.
According to Shamsi, cricketers sometimes feel like 'caged circus animals' while going through tours in bio-bubbles.
His comments came after ECB drew criticism for giving relaxation in the bio-bubble, resulting in three England players and four support staff members testing positive for COVID-19.
During the bubble break, India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and support staff member Dayanand Garani have also returned COVID-19 positive in UK.
"I don't think everyone truly understands the impact these things have on us, our families and our lives outside of cricket. Sometimes it just feels like we are caged circus animals who only get taken outside when it's time to practice and play matches to entertain the crowds," Shamsi wrote on his official Twitter page.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison on Thursday (July 15) defended the board’s decision to give relaxations in the bio-bubble, citing that it is important to look after the players' welfare and mental health.
"We want people feeling good about going out and playing in whatever tournament they're playing in, whether that's the Hundred, whether that's a Test series against India, whether that is county cricket and the RL50. We want people to be feeling like their life is delivering for them, both at home and as professional cricketers, men and women. We don't want to be closeting players in such a place where they feel like the only role they play in their life is to go out and bat and bowl for whatever team they're playing," ESPNcricinfo quoted Harrison as saying.
"I think that's a bad place for us to be. We have to be understanding about what it is to be a responsible employer, to be able to get the best back from players. That's by treating them like adults, and talking and communicating openly about how we best mitigate the impacts of this ongoing pandemic," he added.
