Paul Collingwood scared of long-term impact Covid bubbles might have on players

Paul Collingwood fears for the long-term mental health of England cricketers following two years of Covid-enforced bubbles and believes a disrupted preparation meant they were “sitting ducks” at the Ashes.

The onset of the pandemic has left England regularly contending with restrictive conditions, initially at home and then on tour which Collingwood suspects has inhibited performance levels.

But of greater worry to the England assistant, taking charge for the Twenty20 series against the West Indies in Barbados in the absence of head coach Chris Silverwood, is the impact of lengthy stints in these environments.

While Collingwood accepted global circumstances have meant compromises to keep the game afloat, he is concerned Ben Stokes taking a break last year, partly to focus on his mental wellbeing, might just be the tip of the iceberg.

“We kept cricket going for those two years; we had to do it for financial reasons,” Collingwood said. “Players have had to sacrifice things, as have their families.

“You don’t see families when you are in the bubbles or if they do come in it’s an awful environment for them to be in. It’s going to be impossible to measure the effect that had.

“We have seen Ben Stokes, someone we consider to be the most mentally tough cricketer in the world, been hit by this.

“I just hope there are no ramifications moving forward because when they come, they won’t be obvious next week or the week after. These are things that might come out down the line. That’s what scares me.”

The Ashes was one step too far- Paul Collingwood

England have been heavily criticised following an Ashes campaign where they suffered four heavy defeats – and only avoided a whitewash after Australia were foiled by last-wicket pair