Brisbane Heat skipper, Chris Lynn, and his club’s foreign recruit, Daniel Lawrence are being investigated by Cricket Australia for a breach of coronavirus protocol. The duo is being under investigation for coming too close to the normal public on Saturday evening after the game.
It is believed that Lynn and Lawrence came in close contact with match audiences and took selfies. The duo had been tested negative after their breach of protocol. Heat’s next fixture is against Sydney Thunder on December 15 and the Australian board have allowed them to play in the upcoming match but on the condition of maintaining social distance during the game.
Both players will use a different locker room and they will not be allowed in the team dugout. The skipper and the Englishman are also required to maintain distance during on-field celebrations and they are not permitted to join the team huddle during the match against Thunder.
According to the Big Bash League’s Covid-19 protocols, players, support staff, and coaches are allowed to go to public places and dine out under some specific conditions. The players are allowed to dine in an open-air space and can also visit the golf course.
CA’s head of integrity Sean Carroll said, “It is important we maintain the integrity of the bio-secure hub to ensure the safety of the public, players, staff, and officials and minimize issues associated with travel between state borders during the tournament. We are fortunate to live in a country with a low rate of infection compared with many other parts of the world but we are still in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Despite a minor breach, CA and BBL is not taking chances and making it a strong example for other players participating in the tournament. Earlier this month, the Pakistan cricket team during their isolation period in New Zealand broke the protocols, jeopardizing the test series against Kiwis. There are likely to be more situations like these cases of breach until the vaccine for virus is out for public use.
The bio-bubble does take a mental toll on players, so one cannot put entirely them at fault for having such minor breaches. Tom Banton and Tom Curran had recently opted out of BBL due to mental fatigue of bio bubble.