The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to take the first big step towards resumption of cricket post-COVID-19 crisis. The board is planning to introduce an ‘isolation camp’ for players at a safe zone to pave the way for cricket’s comeback. All cricketing action remains suspended in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed lives of lakhs of people around the world.
The Indian team last played an international match against New Zealand in March this year before the ODI series against South Africa at home was called off. Players have since remained confined to their homes, keeping themselves fit with basic exercises indoors. As per The Times of India, BCCI is looking to arrange an isolation camp for players, team management and other staff at a safe zone to ease to ensure they can start training.
Along with players and support staff, other staff like catering and room service will also be kept in the isolation camp with no outside movement allowed. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru was seen as a potential venue to stage the isolation camp but with a number of cases increasing in the city, BCCI might look for alternatives.
“The safety of the players is the board’s priority. We will have to work on the logistics and see if Bengaluru is safe enough. If things don’t look absolutely fine, then we will look for areas in the country which fall outside the containment zones. The camp will be sanitized. And there is also an option of opening up local stadiums to senior players,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by TOI.
“The players, team management and the cricket operations team are constantly in touch to deal with every issue,” added the official.
The BCCI had earlier postponed the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) indefinitely after the government extended the lockdown for the second time in the country.
