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Did England cricketers have Covid-19 on tour? Chris Woakes admits players have wondered if it was the coronavirus that swept the camp in South Africa this winter
- Chris Woakes admits that England wonders if they were the first victims of the coronavirus
- Illness wiped out the squad during their Christmas tour of South Africa
- Two disease critters, one a type of flu and the other a stomach problem, seized
- Woakes says England will enter the unknown when they return on tour
- Here we show you how to help people affected by Covid-19
Chris Woakes has admitted that England wonders if they could have been an early victim of the coronavirus when the disease devastated their touring camp in South Africa.
Almost the entire team was plagued by two disease bugs, the first a type of flu and the second a stomach problem, which severely weakened England in its heavy first test loss at Centurion at Christmas. Now the ‘mystery’ virus could be explained.
“You look back on it and it amazes you,” Woakes said Wednesday. “We have no idea if it was or not, but of course it goes through your mind.
Chris Woakes admits that England wonders if they were the first victims of the coronavirus in South Africa
“ My symptoms during that time, and I was stuck in my hotel room for a week, were more gastrointestinal, but there were also flu-like problems. It would be a mistake to sit here and say that we definitely had coronaviruses, but who knows.
If England’s team was affected, of course, it could be clarified as they test before what appears to be a ‘bio-security’ behind-the-scenes cricket season if the game is possible later this summer.
Woakes, speaking on a conference call, admitted that it would be “strange” to return to a team environment if the ECB sanctions a possible schedule at its board meeting on Thursday and that England has not yet spoken about the practicalities of returning to the action.
“You can hardly see the world being the same again,” said the versatile Englishman.
Joe Root’s squad was severely weakened by illness in its heavy first test loss at Centurion
‘Getting out of this, every time that happens, you will feel strange. Cricket, and being on a team, will change.
“In the early days of touring in Sri Lanka, we did our best not to make contact and not shake hands, but it was easy to accidentally forget and do something we told ourselves we weren’t going to do.”
And Woakes agrees that England will enter the unknown if asked to complete its series of proposed tests against the West Indies and Pakistan later this year.
“It is complicated because at the moment we do not know what people are going to have to do before returning to the sport,” he added.
‘As athletes, we cannot order tests because there are people who need them much more than we do. We just have to sit back and wait to see what the experts advise. ”
