Tuning in on Monday’s virtual press conference with Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, I am convinced that these bio-bubbles are stealing our sportsmen’s joy.
I have to state up front that I’m not pelle with the 25-year-old speedster – he doesn’t know me from a bar of soap.
But I’ve seen this guy grow up in cricketing terms right in front of my eyes and judging from what I heard come out of his mouth at that press conference, this bio-bubble thing is not doing our stars any good.
Rabada sounded like a man that needed a pick-me-up when he referred to the bio-bubble as a luxury prison.
That begs the question, is it really fair on the players?
I get that they get paid to play and to entertain millions of people watching from the comfort of their own living room, but surely there has to be a better way in these troubled corona times.
The life of a professional cricketer at the highest level is not for everyone.
You go on long tours and already hardly get to spend time with your family. Now put these manne in isolation and I reckon Rabada couldn’t have described the emptiness better, saying that they need to escape from feeling desolate.
For those who missed it, Rabada said: “The bubbles can be quite tough. You can’t interact [with other people] – you’ve basically lost your freedom. It’s almost like luxury prisons that we’re in...
“I’m just trying to remind myself that we must be grateful for the opportunity that has been given to us. First of all to earn some money and secondly to do what we love.
“We don’t get treated too badly, we stay in great hotels, we get the best food – it’s that it’s like a spoilt kid not getting what they want at the candy store.
“At the same time it can be quite tough. You’re just surrounded by four walls and that can play a factor mentally. Just reminding yourself of all the good things that are happening that should get us through.
“We are here to play cricket and once we start playing, I think it will take away from the desolate times.”
At some stage in the interview, Rabada reminded journos that they are human beings too and there are days that they don’t feel the fire in their bellies to get to work.
He said: “Every series you play, there’s always a fire burning. At the end of the day, we’re also human beings and we don’t rock up to practice like: ‘Yeaah! I’m ready to go!’.
“We’re also human beings like anyone else and sometimes you might be a bit lazy.
“But once you get into it, that’s when the juices start flowing, so once we start playing you get amped.
“I don’t really get amped every day that I wake up but when you get into it, that’s when you really have to wake up.”
Now imagine being “locked up” and then being released, with a hele country expecting that you perform and win them a match.
If not, the haters will hate on social media platforms and our sports pages will be filled with how horrible the Proteas are.
While it’s the job of sports journos to analyse performances, I reckon it’s best for the general public to support these guys as much as you can on social media platforms – even if they are not doing what you want them to do.
Let’s change from a “you suck” attitude to a “you-can-do-it” attitude and pick up these young men in a time when they are sacrificing it all to represent our country.
Just imagine being required to sit in a hotel room for weeks on end to do your job and then getting stank vir dank by those who are supposed to support you.
We can’t be there at Newlands on Friday to cheer on these guys, but a positive message or two via social media will go a long way in making sure these manne fight for you.