The World Has Completely Changed For Athletes Says Ebony Rainford-Brent

Former England cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent said that the world has completely changed for cricketers, especially with Covid-19 pandemic coming into picture. She also said that apart from mental hea

The 37-year-old cricket commentator believes that the cancellation of fifth Test at Manchester between England and India was a sign of things to come in future. "For England, there are some easy answers and some harder ones. In terms of cricket it has been a solid few months, with success in the short-form game balancing out some disappointment in the Tests. But the way the men's international summer ended, with the abandonment of the fifth Test of a superb series against India, demonstrated a sport in the middle of a transformation."

"India's players clearly had the IPL on their minds when they decided not to play at Old Trafford, but they would also have been worried about testing positive midway through a Test and then being forced to self-isolate in England before leaving to join their next bubble, and perhaps losing a first chance in months to catch up with their families."

"The cancellation of the fifth Test against India might end up costing Lancashire and the ECB millions in lost broadcast revenue, ticket, food and merchandise sales, and there could be more hits to come. If there's no guarantee that the best players will be involved in the Ashes, for example, that will very quickly be reflected in the fees being offered by broadcasters. A relatively small group of players can't just keep playing indefinitely," concluded Ebony.