“We have to look at ways where we can get players home”
ECB men’s director of cricket Ashley Giles has admitted that “it isn’t realistic” to expect England players to be quarantined together for over two months this summer.
As the ECB look to cram together England’s international fixtures into a truncated schedule derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports, players could be set to spend nine weeks together in quarantine, residing at ‘bio-secure’ venues such as Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl which have on-site hotels.
A lengthy quarantine period would provide personal challenges to players. Test captain Joe Root, whose wife Carrie is expecting the birth of their second child, last week raised questions over the obstacles quarantine could provide him. Speaking to Sky Sports Root said: “For me that’d be, would I be able to get to the birth, would I then be in isolation for two weeks, would I be able to be tested coming back into the bubble? Who knows exactly what that’ll look like – they’re discussions to be had in the coming weeks.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Giles has admitted that the ECB “will have to find ways where we can get players out of their environment”.
“We have to look at ways where we can get players home,” Giles said. “Whilst these guys are used to touring for perhaps three or four months these aren’t normal conditions and with what’s going through the country, people will want to see families, they are going to want to get home and see their kids. So we have to look at ways we can make that happen.
“I could sit here and say those are the protocols and we are going to stick to them but it isn’t realistic. We are going to have to find ways where we can get players out of their environment.
“Our players will do anything they can to get this going [the resumption of international cricket]. We have a good bunch of players. But it isn’t realistic to expect them to be in a bubble for 10 weeks. We are going to have to be smart with how we can get guys in and out of that environment. Testing and tracing and tracking will have changed a hell of a lot by then and that should help us. Otherwise we are going to have to be smart with selection.”
Players are set to return to individual training next week following the relaxing of lockdown measures in England, boosting the hopes of a Test series with West Indies beginning in July and a subsequent visit from Pakistan for further matches.
Giles admitted that he would be “nervous” if he was a West Indies player part of the tour, but emphasised on the ECB’s aims to make the visitors feel “comfortable” in regards to their safety.
“I would be nervous, certainly,” Giles said. “I can’t speak for all of you but we are all nervous aren’t we? I went shopping last week and it’s a really weird feeling when you go out. You are almost threatened by anyone who comes near you. That will change over time.
“We are doing everything we possibly can to answer all of the West Indies’ questions and we will be speaking to Pakistan as well and mitigate as much risk as we possibly can. We can’t mitigate all risk but as much we possibly can to get guys comfortable.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]
“We have to remain confident. A big part of my job is trying to get cricket on, and there are performance aspects of what we do, whether that’s winning and being the best, but I also have a responsibility – as we all do across the world at the moment – we have responsibility to our businesses and to try to get cricket going. That has to be safe and it has to be right, and I don’t think we would ever compromise the safety of our players and our people. But right now I’m confident with the trajectory we are on. Who knows what the UK will look like in two or three months time or the world. We hope we don’t take another dip which would set all of us back but if we continue on this trajectory hopefully we will have conditions where we can play some Test cricket.”
