Amir and Narine are blessed to play cricket during COVID times

2020 was a tough year for the whole world. COVID-19 pandemic stopped everything and even cricket was affected as literally no tournament was played for close to four months. International cricket returned in July but it took some time for the organizers to stage the T20 Leagues as players from different countries come together to feature in franchise cricket.

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However, slowly amid all the quarantine measures and RT PCR tests every now and then, all have got used to it and the sport has successfully returned. The new normal is completely different and the fourth edition of the T10 League is also being played in similar circumstances.

The Deccan Gladiators all-rounder Sunil Narine, while speaking about the same, admitted that it is tough to spend time in isolation and then come out and play cricket. But he feels they are getting used to this as professionals. “It's hard, but it's something that you generally have to get accustomed to. You have to set your mind that you're going to have to quarantine, it's going to be tougher than normal and you're going to have to come to tournaments a week earlier, sometimes two weeks earlier,” he said during an online Zoom interview to ESPNCricinfo.

Another top player Mohammad Amir who retired from international cricket only recently is gracing the field for Pune Devils in the ongoing T10 League. He feels blessed to be playing in COVID times and not sitting on Sofa watching TV. However, even he admits that it gets sometimes frustrating to get into quarantine and testing stuff before and during every tournament.

“After Covid , if you're getting any opportunity to play cricket, it's a blessing from God. Everybody is struggling in the world with Covid and I think we are blessed to be playing cricket, rather than sitting on the sofa and watching TV. It's sometimes strange and you get frustrated but it will only help because you have to manage . 

“As a player, you have to follow the SOPs and if you're not meeting with your other team-mates, it's not a big deal because we're here to play cricket, not to meet other mates. Rather than getting frustrated or getting negative thoughts in your mind, just stick with the fact that we're here to play cricket,” the left-arm pacer said.