England Test captain Joe Root has recently shared his views on the importance of team-work in the crunch situation amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an open letter addressed to the British public, he expressed his thoughts to fight against the virus which has affected several people around the world.
“As England players we’ve tasted some desperate days and enjoyed exhilarating highs and tried to stay grounded throughout. But over the last few weeks I’m sure that many of you, like us, have experienced intense emotions as the pandemic has spread. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, fear for someone who is ill or are sick yourself. Perhaps you are worried about families and friends and are anxious about what the future holds. Never has teamwork been more important in our society,” Root wrote in that letter.
“Social distancing may mean that we can’t come together in a physical sense, but our strength lies in our communities coming together to help one another,” he further added.
However, The England and Wales Cricket Board have pushed back all domestic cricket until at least May 28. Their international tour to Sri Lanka has also been cancelled for the time being due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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“Getting the chance to spend time with family at home is obviously something we don’t get a huge amount of,” said Joe Root in a conference call. “Very strange times we are living in. I think it’s important that when we get our opportunities we try to help and support everyone around us and really come together like we’ve seen a lot of throughout the whole nation over the last couple of weeks.”
“I’ve actually been in touch with every single player across the course of the winter throughout the last couple of weeks to make sure everyone is OK, make sure everyone is getting their stuff done,” he again said.
England have been doing well in Tests. After winning the ICC Cricket World Cup in their own backyard, they drew the Ashes series last year before winning against South Africa. However, their future series remains uncertain amid this situation.
“Trying to get a bit of feedback as well. We now have some time on our hands to have a good assessment of where we are as a team,” said Root. “I suppose (we can) look at a few things and use this as an opportunity to really improve things and where we might want to take the team forward. There is obviously a lot going around in sport, a lot of uncertainty about when things will start again.
“I think one thing that the guys have done really well is try to stay active, stay fit, stay positive. That’s been quite clear when I’ve called with everyone,” Joe Root concluded.
