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Jos Buttler has said the importance of having families accompany cricketers on tours has been realized further since the Covid-19 pandemic.
England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler. (Picture Credit: AFP)
England captain Jos Buttler has said that families accompanying players on long tours is ‘really important’ and helpful for players and doesn’t affect the cricket.
His comments come soon after it was reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given a diktat to the men’s cricketers restricting them from having their families around for a long time on tours. The BCCI has also advised state boards to not provide special arrangements for players wanting to travel with their families, and not on one bus with the team.
“That’s a loaded question, isn’t it?” Buttler joked when indirectly asked about the matter in a press conference ahead of his team’s first T20I against India on Wednesday.
“I think it’s important. We live in a day and age now, which is a very modern world, and I think it’s great to be able to have families on the tour with you and try and enjoy that,” he added. “There’s a lot of cricket, people spend a long time away from home, and I think post-COVID all that’s been highlighted as well. Absolutely, I don’t think it affects the cricket too much,” Buttler added.
“I think it’s something that is very manageable. Personally, from my point of view, I think it’s really important to try and be able to share that with your family and lighten the load on being away from home,” he explained.
According to the rules, the relevant clause allows families no more than two weeks on tours exceeding 45 days. It also says that any exception on the rule would require prior approval from head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently spoke in a press conference to announce the team for the ODIs against England and the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, they didn’t address this issue directly.
India’s next tour will begin in mid-February when they travel to the UAE for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Before that, they’ll face 5 T20Is and three ODIs at home against England.
The T20I team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav and the ODI side will be taken care of by Rohit. Gambhir will coach both.
