England captain Joe Root backed his players to pull out of the tour if they feel uncertain about touring in the times of the covid-19, especially with the rising cases back home.
"Everyone is very aware that if at any stage it becomes too much they are entitled to get out and that's an important thing to remember,” said Root adding that players are not tied to playing for the nation all the time and that personal life too is an important aspect of a cricketer’s life.
The England team has now added a psychologist in their touring party of India and Sri Lanka and Root believes that it would give players someone to talk to. But he also emphasized the fact that the psychologist should not be the only go-to person for the players. "There's going to be a little bit of extra support for the players in terms of a psychologist on the ground at all times making sure there's someone to speak to," said the skipper who turned 30 on Wednesday.
"It's important they can say if they don't feel they're in the right space physically or mentally to go out and represent their country. As players, you have a responsibility to speak up, not just use the staff but the other guys around you as well," he said.
The Yorkshire man believes that him being the captain has an added responsibility to make sure that players are in good spirits.
"As captain that's a big part of my role to make sure people are comfortable in the environment, in a position to be at the top of their game and play Test cricket to the best of their ability. It's a huge part of the role anyway but it's certainly heightened more in times like these,” he said.
On their tour to Sri Lanka, the England team would play two Tests starting with the first one in Galle from 14th January.
Powered by Froala Editor
Powered by Froala Editor