Finch fears Aussies face bubble trouble
AARON FRETS ABOUT BEING CONFINED TO HOTEL
AARON FINCH fears cabin fever could exact a heavy toll when the Australians are confined to barracks on their locked-down tour of England.
And they will face stiff penalties if they make the same mistake as England pace bowler Jofra Archer by breaking out of their bio-secure cocoon.
Armed with a 13-page booklet on the rules of pandemic-proof bubbles, Finch’s whiteball squad fly in on Monday for three Twenty20s and three one-dayers against Eoin Morgan’s side – the 50-over world champions – next month.
Australia’s housekeeping directive includes a section on hotel etiquette to minimise the risk of infections – including players making their own beds.
Skipper Finch believes mental health will be tested with players ordered to remain in their hotel rooms, except for training sessions and matches, for weeks on end.
But he hinted at zero tolerance of protocol breaches, saying: “There should be no more motivation than to do everything right.”
Archer was dropped, given a written warning and fined about £15,000 – the equivalent of his match fee – after going home between Tests against West Indies.
English cricket has taken a massive financial hit from Covid-19 and the old enemy are on the way after being granted a special exemption by their Government on travel restrictions.
Several members of the squad, including Finch, are expected to travel on to the United Arab Emirates for the displaced 2020 Indian Premier League that starts on September 19.
Australian team psychologist Michael Lloyd has already prepared bespoke plans to help each player deal with extended periods of isolation.
And a nation that excels in civic micro-management, from jaywalking to permitted length of dog leads, has committed more attention to detail in the squad’s booklet on bio-secure tour protocols.
Finch, right, said: “We have been really strong with guys over the past couple of weeks that we literally do everything we can that is in line with the protocols and that keeps the global game going.
“At the end of the day, if that falls over we are all out of jobs and the game is not in a healthy state – which we cannot afford to have.”
Finch, who is based in Melbourne – which has been locked down for most of the past five months – explained his concerns about the mental health of players. “I definitely feel it’s going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years,” he said.
“It’s going to be something to monitor heavily because it could be a few months that guys are in these bio-bubbles. “Being stuck in a hotel room by yourself for a couple of weeks on end – or four or five months – that could be really tough. “I think there has been so much time and effort that has gone in from thousands of people to give us the opportunity to play international cricket again. Even just leaving Australia, leaving Victoria, is a big process.”
In terms of specific sanctions for breaching lockdown, Finch added: “There is nothing in place from a team point of view as of yet.
“But no doubt that will come up over the next couple of days before we leave.”