With cricket gradually gearing up for a restart following the coronavirus-enforced shut down of various sporting activities, many aspects of the global game are set to change forever. Cricket, like all other sporting events, were put on hold as soon as coronavirus was declared a deadly outbreak by the World Health Organisation in the first half of March.
Well, it has been two months since the last international game was played between Australia and New Zealand. Due to this ongoing coronavirus crisis, cricketers are forced to sit at home and practise whatever resource is right in front of them. While some cricketers have all the facilities like the big yards or lawns inside their home, there are others who live in apartments, and thus they are improving their training routines accordingly.
It will be tougher for bowlers to find rhythm: Brett Lee.
Former Australian fast bowler feels that it will be quite tougher for bowlers to find the rhythm once cricket kicks-in post the coronavirus pandemic. Brett Lee thinks the bowlers wouldn’t be the same as before as they will take at least 6 to 8 weeks to get back to full swing.
Brett Lee on the return of cricket:
“I think it’s hard on both batsmen and bowlers. Probably takes a bit longer for a bowler to try to find that form, because its normally a 6 to 8 week period where you get up to full pace again. Playing one day cricket or Test cricket, a good 8 weeks of leading and bowling at full pace to get into that match fitness. So, it will be a bit tougher for the bowlers,” Brett Lee said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected when asked ‘whom will it be tougher to find their rhythm after the lockdown – Batsmen? Or Bowlers?’.
West Indies Test players became the first to resume their training in small groups after the lockdown hiatus. Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Shane Dowrich, etc were seen training at the Kensington Oval in Barbados behind closed doors on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Indian health ministry allowed the use of stadiums and sports complexes in the fourth stage of the lockdown, meaning that the cricketers could soon be seen training before the official resumption of cricket.