Australia captain Aaron Finch acknowledged that staying in bio-bubbles for extended periods could be 'really tough', but said the management will look to monitor players closely to recognise when "things might be a little bit off".
The Australian skipper said that the mental health of players will be monitored closely during the upcoming limited-overs England tour. With the series set to follow similar bio-secure guidelines to those used during the West Indies, Ireland and Pakistan series, players will be confined to hotel rooms for extended periods.
"I definitely feel it's going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years, in particular," Finch told reporters in a video call.
“It’s going to be something to monitor heavily. Because it could be a few months that guys are in these bio-bubbles and being stuck in a hotel room by yourself for a couple of weeks on end - or four-five months, that could be really tough."
The state of international cricket is in a very delicate position at the moment! #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/vZEieTMpig
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 18, 2020
"I know from an Australian point of view that there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make sure there are checkpoints in place to ensure we understand and recognise when things might be a little bit off."
Australia will travel with a sports psychologist who has interacted with the players individually and come up with personalised plans to cope with the situation.
"It could be a few months that you're in these bio-bubbles and being stuck in these hotel rooms for weeks or months on end can be really tough," he said.
Right, left and middling it!
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Australia have ditched the dual vice-captaincy practice for the upcoming tour, installing Cummins as the sole deputy to Finch on this tour. According to Finch, Cummins' best quality is his "calmness".
"That was one of my recommendations on the back of the South Africa tour [in March], just try to streamline the process a little bit more, especially on the field," Finch said.
ICYMI: Australia have announced a 21-member squad for the white-ball tour of England.
— ICC (@ICC) August 15, 2020
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"At times if you have seven or eight guys going to three or four people sometimes it can feel a little bit clouded and you just get to a point where you have so much advice. He's someone who over the years has been able to separate the off-field stuff with his on-field performance and manages himself really well.
"He brings a different perspective being a bowler as well, with the traditional captains and vice-captains being batsmen, so to have that real close connection to the bowlers is really important as well."
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