Bio-bubbles make players feel like 'caged circus animals,' feels Shamsi

South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi reckons staying in bio-secure bubbles sometimes feels 'caged circus animals.' The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had recently relaxed the bio-secure protocols as they felt that it impacted a player's mental health.

Shamsi, the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world, had a stupendous series against the West Indies, in which he picked up seven wickets from five matches at a miserly economy rate at four.

I dont think everyone truly understands the impact these things have on us, our families and our lives outside of cricket

Sometimes it just feels like we are caged circus animals who only get taken outside when it's time to practice and play matches to entertain the crowds https://t.co/LBCEcT4OiM

— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) July 17, 2021

Speaking about the relaxation in bio-secure bubbles, ECB CEO Tom Harrison said,  "We want people feeling good about going out and playing in whatever tournament they're playing in, whether that's the Hundred, whether that's a Test series against India, whether that is county cricket and the RL50. We want people to be feeling like their life is delivering for them, both at home and as professional cricketers, men and women. We don't want to be closeting players in such a place where they feel like the only role they play in their life is to go out and bat and bowl for whatever team they're playing."

"I think that's a bad place for us to be. We have to be understanding about what it is to be a responsible employer, to be able to get the best back from players. That's by treating them like adults, and talking and communicating openly about how we best mitigate the impacts of this ongoing pandemic," he added.

However, the ECB had received flak for doing so after three players and four support staff tested positive for Covid-19. In fact, Rishabh Pant, who is part of the Indian contingent for the tour of England also tested positive for the virus along with staff member Dayanand Garani during their three-week break after the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

England will host India in a five-match Test series, starting August 4.