"Are the players, the foreign players, the management, the catering services, the cameramen going to be safe, is everything all right?"
By Reuters
Last update: 5/17/20 11:29 p.m.
Some English players will return to individual training starting Monday
England's quick pitcher Mark Wood says cricket return should not be a priority as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic and wondered if everyone involved in a match would be safe.
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Last month, the Cricket Council of England and Wales (BCE) extended the suspension of professional play until July 1, but some English players will return to individual training based on skills starting Monday across the country.
The government has said that elite sport could return in June without spectator assistance and that the ECB plans to hold a series of three tests against the West Indies in July, possibly in "biosecurity" places.
"The nation wants to watch sport and we want to play sport, but safety comes first," said Wood.
"Will the players be safe, the players abroad, the management, the catering, the cameramen, will everyone be fine? … Cricket must be in the background while everything else gets better. "
"As much as we love to play sport and want sport to come back, I think it has to do with the nation, putting things back in place and ensuring the safety of key people and workers and the NHS."
A cricket match in England has not yet been played this year.
The United Kingdom currently has more than 240,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and dominates Europe with nearly 34,500 deaths.
Social distancing protocols will prevent fans from attending stadium matches, and Wood said players who view them as the twelfth man will feel their absence.
"Being a quick pitcher, I would go up to the thin leg on the edge and you're right next to the crowd there and they can give you a little motivation or inspiration" added Wood.
"They can make you feel like there is an extra guy on our side. It really helps and not having it would be weird enough. We'll just have to create our own atmosphere in between."
"I may have to be a little quieter in the stem chambers, but you may have a better idea of what's being said. The only thing from my point of view is that I don't want to hear this bullet hitting too much bat. "