The spread of COVID-19 has made it clear that it is case of being safe than sorry, says Ian Chappell

The coronavirus is not the first pandemic in world history. In fact, it is the eighth such instance in the last 100 years. However, the rate at which the infection has been spreading has made even the elites in the sporting world take action. Nearly every major footballing leagues, the NBA, several cricket matches have been called off, with the IPL also among the ones to bear the brunt. Chappell compared these difficult times to the time when the sport was affected globally during the two world wars.

“With sporting events dropping like flies it was only a matter of time before cricket joined the list of those seriously affected by the spread of the coronavirus. This pandemic is spreading at an alarming rate. It is a clear case of being safe and not sorry. The cancelling of major cricket matches is a rare occurrence and casts the sport back to the dark days of the two world wars,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo. 

Some sporting events continued to be played behind closed doors in the past week. In his article, the 76-year-old touches on the pros and cons of such a situation. However, as things stand, the first — and almost, the only — priority is to stay healthy.

“I'm one who believes you don't necessarily need a crowd to be spurred on as a sportsman; it's the thrill of a close contest that gets the juices flowing. The upside was the absence of mindless chatter over the PA system; it was good to enjoy a game of cricket where you could hear yourself think. These are indeed strange and difficult times but the main priority is to stay healthy - a worthwhile objective,” Chappell added.