Aaron Finch has said that mental health issues will be ‘monitored heavily’ as Australia prepare for life in bio-secure bubble in England.

Australia are touring England for a three-match T20I series, which starts on September 4 and will be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. It will be followed by a three-ODI series, which will be held at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

The 21-member squad for the limited-overs tour will be led by Aaron Finch, who, during an online press conference, revealed that mental health issues will be monitored heavily with bio-secure restrictions in place, and a sports psychologist will travel with the team.

“That’s going to be something that’s going to be a real issue, it’s going to be something to monitor heavily,” he said. “I know from an Australian point of view that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make sure there’s checkpoints in place to ensure we understand and recognise when things might be a little bit off.”

Some of the Australian players, including the skipper, will travel to the United Arab Emirates to feature in the IPL right after the conclusion of the ODI series against England on September 16, which would mean a prolonged stay away from home.

Finch also urged his players to ensure they comply with bio-secure rules for the greater good of the game, especially in these trying times.

A look at the three uncapped players in Australia’s squad for their upcoming tour of England. https://t.co/G3ULpDg16I

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 14, 2020

“It could be a few months that you’re in these bio-bubbles and being stuck in these hotel rooms for weeks or months on end can be really tough,” Finch added. “What’s important to remember is we are in a position to help continue the global game, and there should be no more motivation than that to do everything right.

“I’ve been very strong with the guys in the last couple of weeks about making sure that we do literally everything we can with regards to the protocols to keep the global game going.

“Because at the end of the day, if that fails then we are all out of jobs and the game is not in a healthy state, which we can’t afford to have. There’s been so much work gone in from thousands of people to give us the opportunity to play international cricket again.”