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The return of cricket will require great sacrifice




The return of cricket to our television screens at the very least will require a great deal of sacrifice.

Image copyright – Steve Haag Sports


The players will perhaps be asked to sacrifice the most, and at this stage, many have expressed strong reservations about a rushed return to play.

Some cricketers have already been asked to take a pay cut through the period of global shutdown that has almost completely robbed the world of professional sport. Still, an early return to playing is full of unknowns that will need to navigated.

Every aspect of the game could be impacted in some way.

Training will naturally begin first with social distancing protocols being observed. England’s domestic scene could lead the way in this regard a position that wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has said is not without its anxieties. Play will be tricky and shining the ball nearly impossible by hygiene standards.

The players will be asked to make sacrifices so that the game as a business can stay on its feet. Cricket boards the world over don’t appear to be in a position to do too much sacrificing over and above what they have already given.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have made the concession that players who do not feel comfortable returning will not be forced to do so.

“We can make decisions ourselves,” Buttler said in an interview on 13 May. “If we’re not happy, not comfortable, there is no pressure to do something we don’t want to do. That will look different for everyone.

“Hopefully they can put in a place a very safe environment that everyone would feel comfortable with. It’s an ever-evolving situation and the more information we get, the more decisions we can make.”

The trouble is for cricket administrators and cricketers themselves, that so much is out of their hands. English County Cricket Clubs have been forced to terminate the contracts of overseas professionals due to travel restrictions.

The 2020 IPL may not take place at all which will be a massive loss for the players who were set to be involved but even more so for the BCCI.

Cricket fans have already had to give up watching their beloved game live and on the television, and it will be some time before they once again get up close and personal with their idols.

If the game is to survive, everyone will need to hand in there and pull together to ensure the global cricket network remains strong.

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