England brace for bubble life as COVID hits county cricket

Stand-in skipper Ben Stokes concedes England's players may be forced to live under tighter bio-security controls again as positive cases of COVID-19 cause chaos at domestic and international level.

England were forced to pick a second-string side for their ODI series against Pakistan after seven cases were recorded, forcing the entire squad into isolation for 10 days.

County cricket has also seen several outbreaks and with the inaugural season of The Hundred due to launch in just two weeks, there are growing concerns over that competition should players and coaches contract the virus.

Should England's Test stars be free, as planned, to play alongside their franchise teammates, it could ultimately threaten their availability for August's flagship Test series against India.

Given their importance to the marketing of the tournament, that would be a major blow to the England and Wales Cricket Board and Stokes realises the difficulty behind that decision.

"It would be very frustrating to not be able to participate in that, a massive event for England, and we want to be part of it," he said.

"We know how big a role players play in making a franchise competition big and if the Test players were unable to play in it because of COVID that would be pretty devastating."

While Stokes has enjoyed his time in charge of a mix-and-match squad plucked from the county game, the circumstances of the series make for longer term worries.

The County Championship match between Essex and Derbyshire was abandoned on Monday due to a positive case in the Derby camp, while Kent have been forced to field a second-string team this week after a similar incident.

Middlesex's Australian captain Peter Handscomb also tested positive over the weekend.

Having been restricted to a tight bio-secure bubbles last summer, England's players have been given slightly more leeway this season as restrictions in the UK start to be rolled back.

But Stokes concedes he and his teammates could be forced to live under tight restrictions again in order to save the summer.

"All these things are in place to make sure we're as safe as possible," Stokes said.

"I have no doubt things have had to go back to the drawing board. But everything is in place to ensure the safety of players and backroom staff.

"Nothing is set in stone for the India series, but it will be done in the right way. You have to make sacrifices, but at the same time, you have to consider welfare as well. Bubble life is very tough.

"Just going from hotel to cricket ground can get to you. So, there is a lot to think about in terms of keeping everyone safe and making sure being looked after from the mental health side of things. Because bubbles are very tough."