Cricket

I dunno. I can't see how we are going to get on top of the widespread circulation. The vaccine will hopefully get deaths down, but there will still be widespread community transmission by early summer if most have not been vaccinated.

I'm mid 30's - We might be vaccinating my age group in the summer? Also - covid variants. Today's front pages scare me. We've got loads of doses of a vaccine that doesn't work on a strain we appear to have allowed in and has begun community transmission. Remember last February? Anyway - covid thread>>>>

It's clear that Root took a substantial donation from the
The Test Match Seam & Fast Bowlers Benevolent Fund.
The plan backfired when Ashwin took a 6fer.

You may well be right. I guess I'm looking at last year (i.e. we didn't hit our peak till March/April, but still ended up with life almost opening up over late summer, we had crowds in grounds briefly etc) and thinking we've peaked much earlier + vaccine suggests hopefully we'll be able to open up earlier but new variants and efficacy of vaccine means who knows!

I almost think small crowds are more likely than an end to player bubbles.

The risk of it getting into the squad, and then running through them will be same this summer as it was last summer, unless sports teams get bumped up the priority list of vaccines, which I hope doesn't happen!

Not sure what happens when a member of the crowd catches the ball in the stands and throws the ball back into the bubble :/

Not sure what happens when a member of the crowd catches the ball in the stands and throws the ball back into the bubble :/

The laser-equipped Sentry system, installed to maintain the players' bubble,
will vaporise any contaminated balls in midair.

Got tickets for Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl in June. About 90% sure we won't be there, but nice to dream.

Fingers crossed for you.

I'm pretty sad about it all (and everything else)- Eight year old daughter is getting hooked on cricket. Played her first games for the local under 10's this summer and was all signed up for Winter Nets ( I was well jel) but all cancelled. Her new bat is still wrapped and stuck at the Grandparents due to us not getting there for Xmas. I'd be all over T20 tickets at the Oval if it was any other year. Think it would blow her mind. Maybe there will be a window at the end of the season - but I imagine demand will be high.

Anyway, at least we've been able to enjoy waking up to cricket on the telly with breakfast.

Sad times. RE tickets - if not able to get tickets for the Oval I thoroughly recommend trying to take in Surrey or Kent league T20 matches. I've been a few times (to Tunbridge Wells and Esher I think) and it's always been great fun - it's a decent standard (you get county players dropping down, I saw Tymal Mills once and I think a returning-from-injury Jade Dernbach), whilst clearly nothing like the atmosphere at the Oval you can get a good seat and there's no queue at the bar. If the cricket itself is the attraction I'd definitely imagine you could both have a wonderful evening out! I don't think people consider lower-level cricket as an option but you can really have a great time.

Also re lower level cricket, you get to visit some really charming grounds where you will meet all sorts of characters!

A really good thing Surrey do is Pride of Lions, membership to every game for only £20; they turn one of the rooms in the OCS stand into a Family/play area type thing that has proved immensely popular.

I still have tickets for Oval/Old Trafford/Headingley tests and will try for NZ at Edgbaston; can't be bothered with Lords and Trent Bridge

Good shout on Esher. We're in Kingston, so the Oval is favoured as nice and simple on the train, but Esher is also just down the road. Wouldn't be quite the same though. At that age, most of the fun is big ground/floodlights/fans/loud music on the sixes waving bits of paper around and all that.

Aye, it's def not the full pyrotechnical experience, but if you're close it's a lovely evening out on a balmy summers evening...

What have you got against Lords and Trent Bridge?

lovely evening out on a balmy summers evening...

This sounds idyllic.

I could even ride a bicycle there. Stuff of dreams right now.

So much this! Riding out when it's still too hot, very sweaty, many waters and cokes required on arrival. Change into a dry shirt, sit in the shade and move onto the beers. Watch 3 hours of tumultuous, occasionally slapstick but thoroughly competitive cricket. Ride home in the cool of the night, much slower, tunes in one ear, singing along and grinning like an idiot... this is the stuff getting me through this current situation....

Same thing here, my boy would be starting his 3rd season this spring, he absolutely loves it, his skills are coming on great and he’s made some good mates at the club. Our garden is tiny so we’ve barely got a bat out since summer. It’s a tragedy that there’s all these kids who can’t practice, they would have had 4 months of nets by now.

We've found playing on the local AstroTurf five a side works well for a quick bit of practice (if you get on). There are a couple of public pitches by us with grates behind the goal to act as wicket keeper for the inevitable regular slog and a miss.

Ha yeah that’s the thing practicing in open space, you spend the whole team fetching the ball. I should get a dog.

I hope these 3:30-3:45am alarms are made worth it today

Yes Leachy!

Don't need to watch the buildup ;)

Need time for coffee making and ablutions

WOW!!

Oh Jimmy Jimmy!

Two beauties this morning.