British Cricketers Resuming Training Next Week

The England & Wales Cricket Board made a surprising announcement this week, with it being revealed that ECB players will be permitted to individual training starting on May 20th. This decision follows after the COVID-19 Lockdown in the United Kingdom slowly begins to be lifted. Players in England, Wales, Scotland, or Ireland will be allowed to have minimal training sessions at supported fields. Physiotherapy physicians and coaching staff are the exclusive individuals permitted around these players. When it applies to secondary teams, those members won’t begin their training until June 1st. That’s because their services aren’t as influential to the national team.

The Director of England Cricket noted that these tentative steps are being reviewed regularly. Any concerns regarding the safety of players against this virus will force training to stop immediately. The ECB also isn’t permitting an official match until July 1st, where England will take on the West Indies in a Test series. Anxieties related to West Indie cricketers caused for their governing association to implement special measures, which allow for their players to remove themselves from this test series. That means there’ll be minimal chances of the July 1st match-up occurring.

It’s known that thirty players registered with the EBC will be provided several weeks for training. These individuals have eleven locations available to them, with three players permitted at each training facility. It’s known that their first training sessions will be on May 18th, with coaching personnel having to abide by social distancing measures. Those practising physiotherapy will be required to wear N95 Masks and Medical Gloves while treating their players. Refusal could prompt an immediate termination of that physiotherapist.

The Guidelines

The UK Government released guidelines for all elite athletes returning to their training. These guidelines noted players must arrive on-scene in their training attire while committing to social distancing. The support staff will take the temperature of players before their allowed to enter & leave the training facility. Players themselves will be required to wear protective face equipment when they aren’t practising, and they won’t be allowed to use locker rook facilities at these sites. These conditions have been implemented for the safety of the ECB community.