Mitchell Starc has declared hub life is not sustainable after signing up for a Big Bash League stint with the Sydney Sixers that he hopes will feature some form of freedom.
The expectation was that most Test stars would bypass this summer’s BBL because of the risk of burnout after spending months in biosecurity bubbles.
Steve Smith and Josh Hazlewood aren’t returning to the Sixers, but the defending champions will have Starc and Nathan Lyon on their books in a major boost for their title defence and the star power of Australia’s Twenty20 competition.
Starc, having sat out the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates that concludes on Wednesday morning (AEDT), will don the magenta for the first time since 2014-15.
Australia’s recent decline in COVID-19 cases has given BBL organisers hope that teams won’t be forced into a hard lockdown during the tournament, as was first feared.
Starc is likewise upbeat that Australia’s Test squad will have some downtime and freedom throughout their four-match series against India, echoing Smith and Ellyse Perry’s recent concerns about cricket’s new normal.
“Hub life is definitely not sustainable,” the left-armer told reporters.
“You’re living in a hotel room with zero outside contact. Some guys haven’t seen families or their kids for a long time.
“You don’t have that freedom you’re used to.
“We get to play cricket, we can’t complain too much. But in terms of well-being of players, staff and officials … how long can you stay in hubs for?
“For those guys who have been in the IPL and have to turn around and do another IPL at the end of next summer, they’re earning their money.”
Starc is thankful he can walk down the street in Adelaide for a coffee while hubbing for the Sheffield Shield.
It is a luxury that wife Alyssa Healy and other WBBL players in Sydney Olympic Park aren’t able to enjoy.
“The girls are doing it the toughest at the moment. They’re locked up in a hub,” Starc said.
Every sport is grappling with a range of coronavirus issues, but cricket is arguably unique in that there is no true off-season during a jam-packed calendar.
Starc opted against a million-dollar IPL deal this year, yet has worked harder than fellow pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in recent weeks.
“I’ve only had 36 hours at home (since returning from a limited-overs tour of England),” he said.
“I had a chance to get home and take out all my Aussie kit, put in my NSW kit and come to Adelaide.
“Talking to Josh and Pat, I’ve bowled 72 overs in the last 15 days in Adelaide, and they’ve played three or four games between them with four overs each.”
Paul
Roar Guru
If Tassie have to chase somewhere around 300 on day 4, it could turn into another really good game. NSW only needs another 70 or so in the last session to make day 4 very interesting.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
He'd opted out of the IPL when it was still scheduled for April (pre-Covid). I suppose the other factor is with the bubbles, he may not have spent any time at home/seen his wife between August and February if he'd gone straight from UK bubble to IPL to Australia white ball bubble to Australia test bubble to BBL bubble. Then there's the possible tours to South Africa or NZ in February on top of that...
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yeah, dead ball situations they pack together a lot more than in most of the game. When you have a corner or attacking free kick, you tend to have a lot of players packed together, lots of pushing and shoving, calling out to each other etc. Very different to open play where they are generally spread out a lot more.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
There were certainly some poor shots there. Good technique has ways to deal with the ball seaming around a bit, and they didn't show great technique to combat that. Siddle and Bird are two bowlers who thrive on a pitch with some seam in it too. They can just keep putting it on the spot and let the pitch do the work. Mind you, Abbot and Copeland are that type of bowler too. The boys in blue are showing a bit more in the second innings. Could still get into a winning position in this game even despite that first innings result.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Swepo just got McInerney with a ripper. He has gone to a new level this year.
Brian
Guest
Why did Starc choose the Shield over the IPL? Seems an odd choice especially if you are going to be in a bubble anyway
Brian
Guest
They were quiate a number of football games in Europe where covid was spread from one team to the other. Apparently it the shouting at dead ball situations. So Cricket its the sledging that would be the issue
Paul
Roar Guru
It's not as though the Tassie bowlers were bowling hand grenades. The NSW bats simply didn't adjust to the pitch conditions as you suggested.
Paul
Roar Guru
I think you're right Tempo. Obviously the situation across the country has improved dramatically in recent times, but while border restrictions and other measures are in place for the general public, I'm sure the health official advising respective State governments are erring on the side of caution, hence the limitations on sports people - for now. It's interesting that CA has not given out any more details about schedules for the Shield or BBL from the 1st of January. That suggests they're hoping the need for the current restrictions would have eased, allowing games to be taken across the country
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I just watched the replays of all the wickets in that match so far on the CA website. Didn't see any swing at all really, they were pretty much all seam movement off the green pitch. So shining wouldn't really come into that, just not surviving long enough for the seam to soften and the seam movement to stop.
Paul
Roar Guru
30 overs? I reckon the gold paint would have gone but it'd still be hard. After all, it didn't hit the fence too many times, or the middle of the bat, for that matter.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know that they lasted long enough for the initial new ball shine and movement to go away did they?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know about the transmission risk in football games to be low. Certainly Rugby codes. If one of the forwards has it and keeps shoving their head into scrums I reckon it would spread pretty quickly. You get a fair bit of face rubbing in tackles and things too. Real football (soccer) probably not so much. There is physical contact, but not at the same level. Still carries a risk, but definitely lower than the rugby codes. AFL probably somewhere in between, but closer to soccer than the rugby codes. But I get the point about the "poor message" regarding shining. If you want to be setting a good example that's not unreasonable, even if the risk is incredibly low.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
I suspect the main issue for cricket in Australia are the state border closures. If all the borders were open, I don't think the cricketers would be in hubs - I expect they are in place to satisfy state health officials so they can move from place to place easily. The risk of transmission in games is likely extremely low (even in a game like rugby) - more likely any outbreak would be transmitted in the dressing room or having dinner together etc, when they are spending extended time together indoors. So I don't see the risk as being materially different to the football codes. In Australia generally the risk is extremely low, and one hopes that as numbers stay low (and fingers crossed reach nil local spread) that borders fully reopen and bubbles are no longer necessary (or can be very loose). Regarding the saliva on balls, I know the risk is very low, but its a poor message from a public health perspective if the general public are being told to keep their distance to family and friends and constantly wash their hands, whilst at the same time well paid sports stars are spitting on the ball. It's a pretty small sacrifice to make in the middle of a pandemic.
Paul
Roar Guru
Not sure NSW would agree with your last paragraph Chris. :happy:
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yeah, not a real contact sport. Physical contact between players is mostly just when they gather together to celebrate a wicket. Not actually part of actual play. I thought it was funny watching some of the NBA matches and seeing these players being socially distanced on the benches and wearing masks, when they then come out onto the court and are all over each other. Don't have that issue with cricket. If they are so strict with all these hubs, surely that should mean they don't also have to have all those restrictions on shining balls. If they keep them all so isolated so no COVID can get in, then let them shine the ball properly! (Hmmm... I wonder if that could have anything to do with most of the Shield matches favouring the bat even more than usual. Can't shine the ball properly and get swing!)
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I think it's basically the first one is most of the cricketing hubs have been like that. In England it would have been like that, in the IPL it's like that, for the WBBL it's like that. The Shield has been in Adelaide where they've been able to be a lot more COVID-free and therefore they have more freedom's there. But the summer of cricket isn't planned to just be played out in Adelaide, so whether they are going to be able to have those sorts of freedom's through the rest of the summer of spend most of it being just in the hotel or at the cricket ground is certainly still to be seen. Hopefully we can get to the point soon where all community transmission can be squashed and most of the country can be a lot more like Adelaide are currently also.
Marcus
Guest
It puzzles me that cricketers need to be in a bubble. There is no sport better suited to bio security, realistically players don’t need to be anywhere near each other. It’s not like rugby where you spend the whole game touching each other. In NSW life is pretty much back to normal, so what we check in at places, certainly less safe the these athletes seeing their families and going for walks...
Paul
Roar Guru
I'm confused by Starc's comments. On the one hand he's saying "You’re living in a hotel room with zero outside contact." Then the article states "Starc is thankful he can walk down the street in Adelaide for a coffee while hubbing for the Sheffield Shield." It's also ridiculous to call being placed in hub in order to play cricket "the new normal". This virus will run it's course and/or a suitable vaccine will be found and hubs & bubbles will become part of history.