Last Updated on 10 months ago by Charbel Coorey

Steve Smith opts out of BBL; cites the bubble as reason | Steve Smith says he is “absolutely no chance” of playing in the 2020/21 Big Bash League due to risk of burnout

In 2020, cricket has seen many changes, right from empty stadiums to lonely quarantine periods. The lockdown that was imposed due to the Covid-19 outbreak brought the whole world to a standstill. Steve Smith, who is the captain of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020, expressed the challenges that have been imposed on a player in today’s time.

Smith has opted himself out of the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League this year due to the growing concerns of living under bio-secure bubbles for prolonged period of time. While talking to News Corp from his Dubai bubble, Smith, when asked if he would participate in the BBL, said “I’ll be honest with you – absolutely no chance.”

“It’s still early days with the bubbles. We don’t know how long it’s going to last for. There’s an uncertainty there. It’s just going to be about having open conversations with coaches, general managers, whoever, to ensure that people are keeping their head space in a reasonable place,” Smith said.

India and Australia is all set to face each other in three formats. Therefore, other Aussie players are also likely to opt out of the BBL. “When guys are starting to find things a bit tough mentally from just living in the bubble, being able to get out – even if it might just be a few days of being normal might be a real help. Those conversations need to be had.”, he said.

In the IPL this year, the players are living in their bubble and testing themselves on regular basis to maintain the health of the teams. Smith flew directly from England where he was part of limited overs series. Post IPL, Australia hosts India and the first match happens to be on November 27, which gives him only a 14-day gap that also includes strict quarantine imposed by the Australian authorities.

Andrew McDonald, the RR coach, understands what Smith is saying.

“The big fear is the sustainability of it all, also the burnout factor,” he said.

“The mental demands on the players have just gone up in terms of what they’re dealing with. Any time you lose autonomy as a human being, which is pretty much what bubble life is – it shrinks down your options. I think that can create some real fatigue which can also transition into that physical aspect as well.

“People judge what’s happened on wins and losses and I don’t think it’s about that. It’s about how we get players through in a healthy state around their welfare.”

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.