Cricket Australia will begin pre-season under new protocol at the end of May according to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald. According to the new rules by the Australian Institute of Sport, the players will not be allowed to use sweat or saliva to shine the ball.
With all the protocols at the place, Cricket Australia head of sports science and sports medicine, Alex Kountouris does not believe it will affect the training much. He said a batsman and a bowler would stay 22 yards away from each other, which makes the training safe.
Kountouris asserted social distancing would be strictly kept at all times in training, and the board will not have a problem managing it. He highlighted the only difference would be sweat or saliva not being used in the game.
“There’s physical distancing in the nets – there are two or three bowlers in each net. One bowl at a time, the batter is 22 yards away, so it’s not a big problem,” Kountouris was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We don’t see it as too big a problem to manage, but these are the things we’re spelling out. This is what you should do: keep your distance, how you should handle the ball, these are things easy to manage.”
“You might not see high-fiving after a wicket or people ruffling someone else’s hair,” Kountouris stated.
“It will be a spaced huddle. It will be the new standard. That is among those things, the physical distancing, for the time being, that will be out until a vaccine or some sort of solution like that.”
“I think we’ll have to find a different way to celebrate, they’ll have to be innovative,” he added.
Kountouris believes some of the biggest challenges will occur behind the scene as pre-packaged food packets will replace the buffet or open platters.
