In wake of increasing Covid-19 cases in the cricketing circle, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has told all the players who will be participating in the inaugural edition of The Hundred to avoid exposure to places where chances of contracting the virus are higher, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Such places include pubs, shops and restaurants and to ensure all these norms are followed there has been an appointment of a Covid compliance officer for each of the teams participating in the tournament.
However, the board is not strict about the biosecure bubble as life at large in England are coming back to normal and ECB’s chief had said that the players must learn to “live with the virus”. The players will be allowed to go back to their homes but players and individuals involved in the tournament have been advised against going to high-risk places.
The ECB is not taking any chance to jeopardise the inaugural edition of its flagship event and is desperate to ensure that it goes as planned in wake of rising cases in the country.
The ECB suffered a direct impact of Covid-19 after seven members of the senior men ODI side tested positive for the virus and it led to the whole side becoming close contacts and they had to select a completely different side to face Pakistan.
Hence, a proactive approach is understandable on the part of the ECB as it has invested a lot of human resources and capital in The Hundred tournament.