Biosecure bubble is like Groundhog Day: HP head coach
The HP team have been in a biosecure bubble in HP Centre at Mirpur. Radford thinks it is mentally exhausting for both cricketers and staff to be in this biosecure bubble but they have no alternatives.
The Bangladesh High-Performance unit began their training camp three weeks ago, without their newly appointed head coach, Toby Radford. But they had to postpone it for weeks due to a few players testing positive for Covid-19 and the BCB President's Cup. They resumed their camp on October 27 and Radford has joined them this time.
The HP team have been in a biosecure bubble in HP Centre at Mirpur. Radford thinks it is mentally exhausting for both cricketers and staff to be in this biosecure bubble but they have no alternatives.
The toughest thing, according to Radford, is regular testing. He mentioned that he has been tested 4 times in the last 14 days already.
"It was a hotel-ground-hotel for the players during the tournament. For some of the young lads living in the Academy is cricket-academy building-cricket. You can't go out. You are in a bubble," said HP head coach in the virtual press brief today.
He spoke about some international cricketers like Stokes, Morgan, Archer saying during the IPL that it is tough for them. Even in those wonderful hotels, they don't really leave the hotels. They must have a mask all the time and stay in their room all the time.
"My last three weeks have been taxi to the ground, and taxi back to the hotel. It is like Groundhog Day. You have to cope with it mentally. I think it is not easy for players," added Radford.
But he thinks cricket takes all this negativity away and makes the cricketers forget about this hard time when they step on to the cricket ground.
The HP team will play a few 50-overs and two-day matches among themselves next week. This phase of the camp is supposed to continue till mid-November when the Bangabandhu T20 League is scheduled to take place.