Don't Necessarily Need Crowd: Ian Chappell Speaks On Intensity Of A Player When Playing Behind Closed Doors

The former cricketer of Australia Ian Chappell believes that the players don’t need the boost of the crowd, to raise their intensity level when playing for the country. He believes the close contest games often make ‘juices flowing’ in for the cricketers during the game.

Due to the rising worldwide panic caused by the highly-contagious Coronavirus, several cricketing bilateral contests are being either played indoors, postponed or cancelled altogether until further notice.

The opening ODI of the three-match series between Australia and New Zealand was recently played at an empty Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). However, the series got postponed after the first match.

It was an unusual sight to watch in an international game where players on their own have to go into the stands and bring back the ball.

Moreover, a game like a cricket can never be imagined without fans.

However, there is no option available but to play in an empty stadium due to the recent outbreak of Coronavirus.

It was a strange silence: Ian Chappell

Speaking of the same, the cricketing great Ian Chappell feels a sportsman “doesn’t necessarily” need a crowd to be “spurred on” but he acknowledges the eeriness of empty stands at SCG where Australia thrashed NewZealand in Friday’s ODI.

“I’m one who believes you don’t necessarily need a crowd to be spurred on as a sportsman; it’s the thrill of a close contest that gets the juices flowing. Nevertheless, it was a strange silence that accompanied scintillating boundaries and landmark scores at the SCG,” Chappell said.

“The upside was the absence of mindless chatter over the PA system; it was good to enjoy a game of cricket where you could hear yourself think,” Chappell added.

The collapse of sporting events continued amid the threat of the coronavirus outbreak that has taken lives of more than 6,500 people worldwide.

The cricketing world also came into the grip of the COVID-19 fear as a series of events were cancelled or suspended by the coronavirus pandemic.