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Bubble no trouble, says Blues skipper Patterson

Newly-appointed New South Wales captain insists he would be fine to return to hub life if it means as much cricket as possible through the 2021-22 summer

With the domestic schedule kicking off in less than seven weeks and the pandemic still making interstate travel problematic at best, new Blues captain Kurtis Patterson has declared he is happy to contend with bubble life as part of another cricket season.

Patterson was today announced as the full-time NSW captain for the Marsh Sheffield Shield, replacing veteran wicketkeeper Peter Nevill as part of the state's desire to "accelerate the team's succession planning".

Test superstar Pat Cummins will continue as skipper in the Marsh One-Day Cup, which kick-starts the domestic summer on September 11 in Melbourne.

View the full Marsh One-Day Cup schedule

The 28-year-old Patterson, who is set to play his 10th Shield season, hopes he has put a couple of disappointing seasons behind him and is desperate to return to the sort of run-scoring form that earned him Test selection – and a subsequent maiden hundred in Baggy Green – in 2018-19.

And if that means enduring the restrictions of bubble life for another summer, which could theoretically allow Shield squads to move through borders more seamlessly, or see all six squads stationed for a period in one city, then that is something he is prepared to do, though he also acknowledged not all will be so willing.

"I think it's going to be individual for everyone," he said of the prospect. "Different guys have had different hub experiences, and certainly those international players would probably say they don't want to go into a hub.

"For me personally, I didn't play as much cricket as I would have liked to have last year. So if it meant with the current (COVID-19) situation unfolding the way it is, if we had to go back into a hub, I personally would be OK with it."

Bubble or hub life has been a major talking point in cricket since the onset of the pandemic, and when a host of Australia's top white-ball players withdrew from the current tour of West Indies and Bangladesh last month, the issue of mental well-being was cited by Cricket Australia as being at the forefront of considerations around the concept.

And with the domestic season spanning seven months and three different formats amid what will inevitably be another period of fluctuating state government regulations, it remains as relevant an issue as ever.

"You have to understand that everyone's going to feel different about it," Patterson reiterated. "I know last year they were incredibly strict on things, which I completely understand, it being the first time dealing with it for everyone.

"I'm sure this year we can probably get a few things in place where some restrictions are lessened in certain areas, but I guess that'll just be a big 'wait and see'.

"I'd be happy to go back into a bubble. I thought the players were looked after last year, and I'm sure this year the restrictions probably won't be as tight, and hopefully we can get as much cricket in as possible."