More concerns about the mental health of cricketers forced to spend weeks on end in bio-secure bubbles have been raised by Tom Banton’s withdrawal from the Big Bash League.
The exciting Somerset batsman was due to play for Brisbane Heat in the Australian franchise competition later this month but yesterday announced he will instead return home on Thursday from Cape Town along with the rest of England’s one-day squad.
It was prompted by Banton spending much of last summer in England’s on-site bubbles at the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford before heading to the Indian Premier League and facing similar conditions with Kolkata in the United Arab Emirates.