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Mistakes likely as cricket adapts to COVID

3 minute read

Cricket Australia's head of sports science Alex Kountouris says players will adapt to new COVID-19 training protocols but mistakes are inevitable.

TIM PAINE of Australia.
TIM PAINE of Australia. Picture: Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Alex Kountouris knows that mistakes are inevitable as stars adjust to Cricket Australia's COVID-19 training protocols, while Tim Paine has backed his team to return to play on short notice if required.

CA's nationally-contracted players returned from leave this week, still unsure when their next match will be as the International Cricket Council (ICC) plots a path through the pandemic.

The focus of Paine and Meg Lanning's sides is currently on pre-season fitness work, but they will soon be back in the nets as state squads train under strict guidelines.

A ban on using saliva to shine the ball, which CA's head of sports science Kountouris suggested could potentially become a permanent part of the sport, is among the coronavirus-related law changes the ICC has flagged.

CA's guidelines, which along with state-government restrictions will shape players' return to training, cover that issue and many more.

"It's specific around no sharing of equipment," Kountouris told reporters.

"It's specific around the need to clean things that are shared (facilities).

"There are going to be mistakes at some point. I don't think we've worked out how we are going to deal with those mistakes.

"I imagine we are going to take a common-sense approach and understand that people make mistakes and things are not going to be perfect."

Kountouris, who revealed CA will look at possibly disinfecting the ball during games this summer, conceded some habits will be hard for players to break.

"Some people are used to licking their fingers before they grab the ball, people are used to shining the ball," he said.

"It's going to be a steep learning curve ... we've got a bit of work to do."

Justin Langer's team would ordinarily be in Brisbane preparing for a Test tour of Bangladesh, but that trip has been indefinitely postponed.

Australia's next series is likely to be a limited-overs tour of England in September, although that is yet to be locked in.

Test skipper Paine is confident that teammates will adapt to any sort of lead up, no matter how short, that precedes their comeback match.

"You're not going to lose it in a period of a month or two," Paine said on a BBC Test Match Special podcast.

"The guys will be ready to go reasonably quickly if needed.

"It's more a mental type of thing (than physical) ... you play so much now, most guys are ready to go pretty much all the time."

Paine admitted a return to touring would likely elicit mixed feelings.

"There's going to be guys who might not want to go. There's going to be a number of guys who can't wait to get back into it," he said.

"I can't wait to jump on a plane and start playing international cricket again."

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