'They are in the same bubble' - Shahid Afridi questions ICC for not allowing umpires to hold bowlers' cap

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, a lot of aspects of our lives have changed. And this has also affected the other aspects of life and one of them is sports. Cricket has gone through some changes after it began since the lockdown got lifted across the world. Some of the rules which were introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) have come into question. 

Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi, who is still playing T20 franchise cricket, has raised a question to the ICC regarding the rules which seems absurd on the surface. The veteran all-rounder took to Twitter to question the rule which said that no umpires are allowed to hold the caps of the bowlers during the overs. 

This was a common practice in cricket that umpires hold on to the caps of the bowlers while they bowl. However, ICC restricted it after COVID, citing concerns over transmission of the virus. However, Afridi questioned if that was logical given players shake their hands with the umpires and also stay in the same bio-secure environments as the players. 

Shahid Afridi has a valid statement

“Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold the bowler’s cap even though they are  in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game?” Afridi posted on his Twitter account and tagged ICC to raise his question to the summit board, which sets the rules for cricket being played across the globe. 

Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold bowlers cap even though they are in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game? 🤷‍♂️

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) February 24, 2021

There are certain rules which have been devised since the COVID-19 happened and this law which doesn’t allow the umpires to hold the caps of players is absurd as it causes inconvenience. Afridi is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League 2021 for the Multan Sultans. As the T20 tournament is under ICC’s rules and regulations, he might have faced the same issue in any of the matches. 

Multan Sultans’ have had a poor start to the PSL season, as they have lost both their first two matches. Afridi bowled a superb spell in the first match, picking up two wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs but failed to help his side win the match.