Could Coronavirus Solve a Major Problem in Cricket?

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, call it what you will, currently grips our world.

Normal has gone out of the window, with millions stuck in indoors as governments desperately try to tackle the pandemic. It has claimed lives all around the word and its effect is being felt globally.

Cricket has been hit hard.

Matches have had to be postponed or cancelled at all levels of the game to try and prevent the spread of the virus, leaving fans wondering what they will do in the sport’s absence. We are all at a loss; it feels like being out for a golden duck – that same hollow feeling…

So how could this disaster solve a major problem in the game if it is preventing it from happening?

A major issue is scheduling. From the Ashes to the IPL, cricket just never seems to stop being on our radios and TV screens. Long gone are the days of cricket being a summer sport with rest days; there are now competitions for players to show off their skills all year round. From a spectator’s perspective, this is fantastic news, what could be better than round the clock cricket? More cricket means more money for all those with a stake in the game and this surely must be good news for the growth of the sport.

Yet, we often forget the people most fundamental to cricket: the players.

As spectators we are often baffled by the skills of the eleven players out on the pitch and their seemingly superhuman abilities they possess that we only dream of. Companies involved in the sport and cricket boards need the money to keep flowing into the coffers so it is in their best interests to cram the games in. Yet, it is easy to forget that the thrills and spills produced by the players out on the pitch comes at a huge price to their bodies and minds. However impressive and otherworldly they may seem; at the end of the day they are only human beings like you and me.

After game upon game of pushing their bodies to the utter limit under extreme pressure, as millions watch and scrutinise them, it isn’t surprising that many players are left desperate for a break.

Players shouldn’t be in a position where they have to ask their teams for a break from the sport they love playing because the schedule is too gruelling. Coronavirus allows a perfect chance for cricketers to rest their weary bodies and minds; giving them a chance to return fresh and ready to enter the fray all over again when the sport finally returns. If the players are in a better mental and physical state, surely that will help the standard of the game to improve?

So, whilst you sit, stuck at home, desperate for some form of cricket and for this virus to end, you can remember that this very big cloud could have a silver lining for the sport we love…

Thanks for reading - stay tuned for more and most importantly, stay safe.

This article was published by me on Australian sports website The Roar. Here is the link
https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/04/08/cricket-has-an-opportunity-to-solve-a-major-problem-thanks-to-coronavirus/

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