Ian Botham’s comments that England players “don’t fancy the ultimate test” of playing an Ashes in Australia illustrates the tone deafness which still exists around mental health in cricket.
Several England players have warned they will pull out of the tour if a strict 14-day quarantine period is required and their families are not allowed to accompany them.
Concerns over player mental health whilst touring during the pandemic have been brewing for some time, with several high-profile players withdrawing from international tours and the IPL citing “bio-bubble fatigue”. The Ashes issue has also been heightened by several of England’s best players already being absent from the series including Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
If more of England’s best players pulled out of the tour, the quality of the squad selected for such an important series would be dubious at best. It is good to see that the ECB are unwilling to select a substandard squad without star players, which would disrespect a sporting series with a rich history of high-quality cricket.
In addition, with Test cricket’s relevance to the modern game already under scrutiny, a series of low-quality cricket would only spark more questions for the game’s longest format. The volume of international cricket being played has also undoubtedly contributed to the reservations England players have over the tour.
With the international squad already in Dubai ahead of the T20 World Cup, players also selected for the Ashes would not see their families until January if strict quarantine rules were enforced. It should not be forgotten that England have played the most test cricket over the pandemic, with 14 tests and two overseas test-match tours.
England players have spent much of the last two years moving between bio-secure bubbles and quarantining, and it is not surprising that this unsustainable way of touring is reaching its breaking point for many.
Whilst the ECB have now announced that the Ashes tour will go ahead, with a strong squad selected, it has been refreshing to see their stance which has put player mental health and high-quality cricket at the forefront of the game.