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(Coronavirus) ICC Lays Out Solid Guidelines For Resuming Cricket

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(Coronavirus) ICC Lays Out Solid Guidelines For Resuming Cricket

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has started taking concrete steps for the resumption of cricket. One such step is the laying out of the important guidelines for all players, support staff, umpires, media people, groundsmen and all other individuals who are part in one form or the other when a cricket match is played. ICC lays out these solid guidelines in the hope to protect everyone from the accidental spread of the virus in these current coronavirus times, as the lockdown restrictions slowly begin to ease the world over.

The sports industry, apart from the hotel, airlines and tourism industry, is one of the biggest victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. Several sports organizations dealing with sports such as Football, Formula 1 racing, Tennis, and others are staring at big losses. Cricket is no different. Several cricket boards have already cut salaries of the staff and have expressed the probability of more salary cuts and layoffs.

So it now has become clear that the sports industry has to take the necessary steps to resume the events as soon as possible. Fans are also waiting eagerly to enjoy some live cricket action in the dull lockdown times.

Over the last few years, with the rising popularity of the T20 cricket and the various T20 cricket leagues, there was a big surge of cricket action from different parts of the world.  But suddenly, the coronavirus lockdown put instant breaks to all the cricket entertainment.

But now with the ‘ICC Back to Cricket Guidelines’ being laid out, fans can soon expect their favorite cricket stars entertaining them with some quality live cricket action. These guidelines do not specify when the cricket will be resumed. But it specifies all the things that need to be taken care of whenever the action resumes.

The guidelines document lays out the steps for the safe resumption of cricket activities (training, playing,
and traveling) in countries and regions at the community, domestic professional, and international levels.

These guidelines have been developed by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee in consultation with Member Medical
Representatives.

So here are some of the points mentioned in the ‘ICC Back to Cricket Guidelines’ document:

  • Every effort should be made to ensure that risks associated with the cricket environment i.e. field
    of play, training venue, changing rooms, equipment, management of the ball have been mitigated
    before any training session or match
  • Cricket will only resume in a country after the government of that country approves and all the government stated travel restrictions and quarantine requirements will be followed.
  • Cricket sometimes requires players to be in close proximity, and most facilities are shared. So if any team member or any opponent team member shows any CV-19 symptoms, all participants will require isolation and testing.
  • Celebrations with body contact and sharing drink bottles, towels, equipment, etc are strongly discouraged.
  • Players should take responsibility for their own items (sunglasses, cap, jumpers, towels, etc.) and should not hand over any items to umpires or teammates.
  • If spectators are allowed, there would be physical distancing of spectators by limiting entry numbers, controlling seating, and guiding corridor movement of crowds. Public health advice would be available to all spectators before and after the match. No entry to unwell spectators. Food and drinks would not be served to spectators to avoid the chance of people coming close to each other.
  • Players at all levels should be made aware that the ICC is expected to ban the use of saliva on the ball in the very near future (on medical advice)
  • General hygiene practices, such as thorough washing of hands with soap, use of sanitizers, avoiding touching hands to mouth, nose, and ears, & coughing, and sneezing into own bent elbows will need to be followed strictly.
  • Wherever possible, items of cricket equipment should not be shared with anyone else unless an appropriate cleaning protocol is followed
  • Players will be encouraged to minimize the use of the shower, changing rooms, and other communal areas. Where possible, players should be encouraged to shower and change at home instead of at the match and training venues.
  • Umpires should consider wearing gloves when handling the ball.
  • A detailed process to be developed should a participant be suspected/confirmed of having contracted CV-19, for example, immediate isolation, an emergency supply of PPEs(Personal Protective Equipment) to the suspected player and immediate contacts, & medical staff, medical insurance, etc

In addition to these, the ICC lays out specific guidelines for three different scenarios: 1) Back to training, 2) Back to play, 3) and Back to travel

1) Back To Training:

  • Health and temperature checks should be monitored for all participants at training and match venues
  • Training should be staggered where possible to minimize numbers, maintain social distancing, and reduce contact. Consider modifying training times so there are fewer people present at any one time.
  • Participants should avoid using communal facilities like showers, changing rooms, etc and should come ‘ready to train’.
  • The ICC recommends a phased approach to resuming training activity starting with solo training followed by small group activities and thereafter larger groups and full training (in compliance with government restrictions).
  • Personal equipment should be sanitized before and after use (training and competition). The use of external equipment should be limited where possible
  • (For international and professional cricket) Consider appointing a Chief Medical Officer and/or Biosafety Official for implementing government regulations and the biosafety plan to resume training and competition.

2) Back To Play:

  • Review domestic playing conditions to minimize risks
  • A ‘ready to play’ approach with minimal or no need to use the communal facilities should be adopted.
  • Social distancing to be maintained and doors left open where possible to avoid contact with door handles.
  • A comprehensive effort should be made by every participating team to ensure that their team is CV-19 free
  • Appropriate CV-19 testing plan during training and competition, with the required medical support (infectious disease doctors and nurses for sample collection and results management).

3) Back to Travel

  • Where possible, players should travel alone to and from training and matches unless they are living in the
    same household. Where this is not possible, social distancing should be maintained.
  • Where using public transport to travel, players should avoid traveling at ‘peak’ transport times to limit contact with others.
  • Regular and adequate cleaning of transport.
  • Avoiding sharing of the rooms, until it is safe to do so.
  • (For International events) Chartered flights and seat spacing to ensure social distancing should be considered

All above are some of the important points from the guidelines document. We believe that these guidelines are quite well thought. And if implemented accurately on all occasions, they will definitely help in the resumption of cricket without any adverse implications.

However, we also believe that there is so much that is unknown about this new world and thus there may be a constant need to refine the guidelines and add new ones to the same.

We may see some totally new rules in cricket and drastic changes in the old rules. Cricket has kept evolving and changing over the last several decades but these changes were slow and not much drastic. But now in this coronavirus world, the changes may be drastic.

One thing is sure, at least for the next few years, cricket is not going to be the same.

Sources:

Check the full ICC guidelines document here: https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/cricket/medical

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