Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

Mickey Arthur has pointed out how the cricket world is getting hampered due to the pandemic and regulations that other countries have implemented. Sri Lanka’s coach and member of ICC’s cricket committee insisted that there has to be more international cricket in the coming months to come out of a difficult year, “We are an industry that needs to be playing, and being broadcast, to keep the lifeblood of the game going”, he said.

Mickey Arthur told the PA news agency that the Sri Lankan government has done a remarkable job. The country has been able to go out, go to a restaurant or sip a gin and tonic on the Galle Face but there has been no international cricket. “We need to get cricket back up and running otherwise we may as well shut the whole thing down and wait for a vaccine. I’m really positive. I’m hoping we can fulfil our fixtures in South Africa come December and then have England over here to start a really busy 2021”.

Reportedly, Arthur was disappointed after the home Test series against Bangladesh was postponed yet again, as Bangladesh was asked to undergo two week strict quarantine which they said would deteriorate their fitness levels and won’t give enough time to perform net practice.

“We have to do it or boards are going to be put under more and more pressure. Already we can look at the sight of people losing jobs at the ECB and Cricket Australia and it’s really sad. I understand the bigger picture and I’m not here to push cricket from the rooftop – people are losing their lives and losing their jobs out there – but from a cricket sense we need to play”, he said.

Reportedly, the country is gearing up for Test tour to South Africa in December and January along with a home Test series against England in later January.

Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.