The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that it has contracted a group of psychologists who will help players cope with mental health issues during the T20 World Cup.
The step was taken to address the growing number of mental health cases in coronavirus safety bubbles, cricket’s governing body said on Thursday.
“Some people will be affected, their mental health will be affected by being in confined conditions again, particularly perhaps those who have done it for a prolonged period of time,” Alex Marshall, the ICC head of integrity and biosafety, told reporters.
“The ICC will have available 24 hours a day, a psychologist to speak to any individual who seeks help. We are also providing [a] lot of resources, so people can decide what the best way of addressing the issue is for them,” he added.
About allowing fans during the World Cup games, Marshall said that players would be kept away from fans.
“The players will be kept separate and will have to stay within the managed environment, so there won’t be mixing directly, physically between the fans and the players and I am sure everybody understands,” he said.
He said if the players and fans understand their responsibilities and maintain that sensible separation, there would be no problem throughout the tournament.
“So I am afraid at this World Cup (there) will not be an ‘arm around the shoulder-selfie opportunity’ with the players,” he said.
Marshall added that players would be allowed to relax in their bio-secure space with a round of golf or a sightseeing trip.
Prolonged restrictions and stay in a bio-secure environment have taken a toll on players’ mental health. England’s Ben Stokes is the latest example of that, with other leading players also complaining about the pressure of traveling from bubble to bubble for different series.
A number of T20 World Cup-bound players were released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from the National T20 bubble so that they could spend some time with their families before entering the mandatory quarantine ahead of the departure for the United Arab Emirates.
Similarly, a number of players opted out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) due to the same reason.
