Nasser Hussain defends easing of restrictions amid Covid-19 'chaos' in ECB

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that the emergence of Covid-19 cases in the England team will create ‘chaos’ in the England and Wales Cricket ranks as they have to pull players out of ongoing County Championship fixtures and get them tested before shifting them in a biosecure bubble.

"It will cause chaos. They will have to pick a completely different squad- that 16 players and the backroom staff and coaches ruled out. They will have to pull the bulk of those players out of county cricket. There's a round of County Championship games going on now and all those counties will have to replace those players and get them tested. The players pulled out will have to get to Cardiff and get tested to enter the bubble. So it will be absolute chaos at ECB towers right now," Hussain told Sky Sports.

However, Hussain defended the move to relax the biosecure provisions keeping in mind the mental well being of the players who have been dealing with one bubble to another for the last year.

"They had to ease that bubble slightly, the cricketers have been going around the world in bubbles and just for the sake of their mental health - when they turn up to the ground and see normal society out there, doing things and being relaxed slightly. That's what they had to do with their players," Hussain said.

As many as seven members of the England squad that played and took part in the series against Sri Lanka tested positive for the novel Coronavirus infection. This included three players and four support staff while others have been deemed ‘close contacts’ and been forced into isolation.

England selected a completely revamped ODI squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan with Ben Stokes coming back from injury to lead the side that has as many as nine uncapped players.