Not sure why umpires can’t travel and quarantine if players can do the same, asks Jason Holder
Jason Holder has stated that if the players can travel around and do the Quarantine, then the umpires from the visiting nation should do the same to keep the fairness alive. Holder has also asked that the bubble life has been tough on him and he is not sure when he will meet his family members.
Ever since the ICC released its back to cricket guidelines in June, with Windies and England resuming the sport back in July, the home umpires have become a regulation. It has been done so keeping the pandemic situation in mind, which means, only umpires from the host nations get to officiate games.Â
Although Jason Holder has no qualms about the standard of umpiring in the recently-concluded series against New Zealand, he was curious why the umpires are not made to travel if the players can do the same.
"I don't understand a situation where we're having home umpires. If we can travel and do a quarantine, I don't see why an opposing (team) umpire can't do the travel and quarantine. If players are making the sacrifice and go on the road and continue cricket then I feel as though the umpires should do the same. If it's a case where you get a home and an opposing umpire to do a Test match then I think that's fair,” Holder said, reported Cricbuzz.
After staying in the England bubble for more than two months, Jason Holder joined Barbados Tridents in the CPL before joining Sunrisers Hyderabad in the UAE for the Indian Premier League. He directly flew to New Zealand for a full series and will now partake in the Big Bash League where he will represent Sydney Sixers. From there, he will be flying to Bangladesh for a proposed series which is enough to take a mental toll.Â
"Man, it's tough. It was a tough year. Credit to every individual who would have sacrificed their health and the risk of travelling around the world in this pandemic.
“It has been a tough year. Not just for the team but I know for me personally it has been tough. I haven't seen home in six months now. I have been going non-stop. We have had pay cuts. It is a situation where you are still looking to make a living, still looking to make use of every opportunity you get. But, having said that, going from bubble to bubble and being isolated into a room - sometimes, as I have said before, the room just gets smaller and smaller by the second.
"I know a few of the guys have got tired minds. We've been on the road for a little while. It would be good for the guys to get home for Christmas, spend some time with their families; hopefully, some of them get there in time for Christmas, because I think you've got to do a quarantine, some players have to do a quarantine going back home. It will be a much-needed rest for some players to just refresh and come back," he added.