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The Cricket Thread

Bumrah is some bowler, one of those people who always seem to be able to extract that bit extra from time to time. Those inswinging yorkers are brutal.
 
The upcoming Ashes series between England and Australia will "hopefully" be played in front of full crowds despite a rise in Covid-19 cases, Cricket Australia has said.

Citing rising vaccination rates, chief executive Nick Hockley said he was optimistic the series would be played as scheduled and with fans present.

Hockley added they hoped to allow England players' families to travel.

The series is set to start in Brisbane on 8 December.

Should the series be played as planned, Australia will be defending the Ashes after they retained the famous urn by drawing the most recent series 2-2 in 2019.

"At the moment, based on vaccination rates, we're very hopeful we'll be able to have crowds," Hockley told Melbourne radio station SEN.

The optimism comes despite parts of Australia currently being under lockdown, including Melbourne and Sydney, the venues for the third and fourth Tests in the five-match series.

"The Ashes is so big, every Test has its own unique character. In the first instance we'll be doing everything we can to play the schedule as planned and very hopeful and optimistic that we will have crowds," Hockley added.

"We have a range of protocols that fit any given circumstance and we'll react accordingly."

England, who have played more international cricket than any other side since the pandemic, play in the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October and November before travelling to Australia for the Ashes, meaning players involved in both could be away from home for up to four months.

With Australia imposing some of the strictest Covid-19 protocols in the world, a number of players have suggested that they may pull out of the tour if they were unable to bring their families with them.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said last month that he was "confident" this winter's Ashes tour would go ahead but that "people come first".

Hockley, who spoke with Harrison on Tuesday, said he had a "high degree of empathy" for the England players, many of whom have spent lengthy periods during the last 18 months in bio-secure bubbles.

"We're working sensitively and constructively with governments to try and put in the best possible plans for players and support staff for both the England squad and our own squad," he said.

"We'll continue to work through the appropriate channels to try and get support for families to join the tour.

"Both us and the ECB want to field our best possible teams with optimal conditions for them to compete at their absolute best, in what is ultimately the biggest stage in world cricket."
 
Match forfeited so series drawn 2-2
Gutted though as it's been a brilliant watch
Bad from India breaking lots of strict COVID protocols though
 
Diamond Lights said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1436242834378698755
Click to expand...
I can’t remember the exact details of that now but is that a fair comparison?

edit: just looked it up and SA had a positive test and Eng had 2 unconfirmed positive tests, so both associations agreed to postpone the tour.

the world in Dec 2020 was very different to now as well. No vaccinations, death rates through the roof, etc.

Still, KP got a nice sound bite off and no one cares about facts anymore anyway, that thought is out there now and will be taken as gospel by those who want to.
 
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Jonathan Agnew speculating that it's more than just covid itself, but more the concern that if any of the players do get covid (all tested clear so far), it could have a knock-on impact on the IPL. So they are withdrawing to protect the players now to ensure they are good for the IPL.

'The IPL would have a lot to do with this' - analysis
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew

This is quite bizarre because last night the players all passed their PCR tests. We went to bed thinking the match would go ahead.
I suspect the IPL would have a lot to do with this. It starts in 10 days' time. The players are on huge contacts. The IPL is worth £300m to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
They are desperate to protect their product and the players protect their contracts. This stands to cost the ECB £20m, one assumes there would be some negotiations about that with the BCCI.

It is a shame Covid has interfered with a brilliant series.
 
Glenda's Legs said:
Jonathan Agnew speculating that it's more than just covid itself, but more the concern that if any of the players do get covid (all tested clear so far), it could have a knock-on impact on the IPL. So they are withdrawing to protect the players now to ensure they are good for the IPL.

'The IPL would have a lot to do with this' - analysis
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew

This is quite bizarre because last night the players all passed their PCR tests. We went to bed thinking the match would go ahead.
I suspect the IPL would have a lot to do with this. It starts in 10 days' time. The players are on huge contacts. The IPL is worth £300m to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
They are desperate to protect their product and the players protect their contracts. This stands to cost the ECB £20m, one assumes there would be some negotiations about that with the BCCI.

It is a shame Covid has interfered with a brilliant series.
Click to expand...

Agnew's a dingdong.
 
9 County Championship games started today
101 wickets in those games

People wonder why we can't bat in test matches, well look at the 4 day game it's played at the start and end of the season when conditions totally favour the bowlers
 
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