No time to get fitter, might never play cricket again, laments Gareth Batty

Surrey off-spinner Gareth Batty has opened up on the mental strain facing professional cricketers, should the county season be delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Batty returned from commentating in South Africa with a cough. Six members of the club’s playing staff were originally in self-isolation, before Tom Curran and Jade Dernbach were added after they socialised with Alex Hales following his return from the Pakistan Super League. The 42-year-old said he might not ever play again.

“It’s a very difficult time, obviously for everybody out there, but certainly for professional sportspeople. Most of the time, a player can go out and do something about it. They can go out and get fitter or practice more. At this moment in time, it has been taken away. I might never play cricket again. I’m nowhere, I don’t know what to do,” said the former England spinner, reported Talksport.

Not knowing when or if the season is likely to begin has added major uncertainty. Measures related to domestic and international cricket have not yet been confirmed or announced but the ECB and the 18 counties will meet on Thursday to discuss contingency plans, with the expectation that the campaign will be unable to begin as scheduled on April 12 with a round of County Championship fixtures.

Anything to emerge from the meeting on Thursday will have to be passed through the ECB board. All options are reportedly being looked at, with large-scale postponements and the prospect of games being played behind closed doors among them.