Sohail Tanvir believes players might struggle with fitness upon return
LAHORE: Pakistani pacer Sohail Tanvir believes it will be difficult for players to maintain fitness levels while taking precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Whilst one sincerely hopes and prays that the world will be free of the menace of coronavirus very soon,” the left-arm pacer stated in a blog on PakPassion. “We must also recognise that the resumption of cricket will not be easy for many players to adjust to. When you as a player are kept from practicing in a cricket ground, then your rhythm is affected adversely.”
He said that some players cannot afford fitness equipment for their homes while net sessions, that are also not possible right now, help improve fitness further.
“This all depends on individuals as to how they make use of this time but there is a real danger that some may be completely out of shape when action finally resumes in the future. The real challenge will be for players to keep themselves motivated so that they are mentally and physically prepared for cricket in the near future,” he added.
The veteran Pakistan cricketer also advised fellow cricketers to avoid making unsavory remarks on social media. “It’s a blessing if you can help fellow humans and also put messages of hope and peace but it can be a problem if it’s not used in the right way. Of course, how we all use social media is dependent upon our personalities and how much public exposure we wish on ourselves, but we need to be careful. In this regard, I feel that cricketers using these platforms to have a go at each other need to be careful because we are after all a close fraternity and unsavoury remarks about each other can lead to embarrassment when we do come face to face one day.”
The veteran Tanvir advised controversial batsman Umar Akmal to start behaving more maturely. “Whenever a fellow player gets into any uncomfortable situation, it reflects badly on all of us and this is why I am hesitant to make any judgement on Umar Akmal’s situation. All I will say is that he has been playing cricket at all levels for a while now and he needs to become more mature now.” - Agencies